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THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


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ft;  , 's 


^lerry  Christmas  to  all ! 

From  Thomas  Xast’s  “Christmas  Drawings  for  the  Human  Rtu-'. 
Copyright  1889  by  Harper  and  Brothers. 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


TOLD  FOR  CHILDREN  OF  ALL 
AGES  FROM  SIX  TO  SIXTY 


BY 

WILLIAM  S.  WALSH 


AND  ILLUSTRATED  BY  ARTISTS  OF  ALL  AGES 
FROM  FRA  ANGELICO  TO  HENRY  HUTT 


NEW  YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 
i9og 


Copyright,  1909,  by 
WILLIAM  S.  WALSH 
New  Yoke 


Published  October,  1909 


xn  \ X 

o 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Who  is  Santa  Klaus 13 

II.  Strange  Adventures  of  the  Saint’s  Body  . . 39 

III.  Christ-kinkle  and  Christ-kindlein  ....  50 

IV.  The  Evolution  of  Christmas 58 

V.  SiLENUs,  Saturn,  Thor .69 

VI.  A Terrible  Christmas  in  Old  France  ...  80 

VII.  The  Christmas  Tree  in  Legend 90 

VIII.  The  Christmas  Tree  in  History 99 

IX.  The  Christmas  Tree  in  Europe 109 

X.  The  Christmas  Tree  in  England  and  America  . 118 

XI.  The  Story  of  the  Three  Kings 124 

XII.  Some  Twelfth  Night  Customs 151 

XIII.  St.  Nicholas  in  England 158 

XIV.  Father  Christmas  and  His  Family  ....  l65 

XV.  Pantomime  in  the  Past  and  Present  . . . .185 

XVI.  Saint  Nicholas  in  Europe 194 

XVII.  Saint  Nicholas  in  America 214 


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S-wuXIL  . Co-. 
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LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Merry  Christmas  to  all!  Frontispiece 

St.  Nicholas  the  patron  saint  of  children 15 

The  Consecration  of  St.  Nicholas 19 

St.  Nicholas  and  the  three  maidens  .......  23 

St.  Nicholas  resuscitating  the  schoolboys 29 

Bishop  Nicholas . .31 

St.  Nicholas  of  Bari 35 

Heads  of  the  Christ  child 41 

The  Christ  child  surrounded  by  angels  ......  47 

“ Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me  ” 51 

Christ  the  giver 55 

Christmas  presents 59 

Saturn^  the  God  of  Time 63 

Silenus  and  Fauns 71 

Santa  Claus  and  his  young 73 

Carrying  home  the  Christmas  dinner 77 

The  Feast  of  the  Passover 81 

The  Adoration  of  the  Lamb 87 

Luther  and  the  Christmas  tree 101 

Christmas  tree  of  the  English  royal  family Ill 

On  the  way  to  Bethlehem 125 

The  Three  Kings  visit  Herod 129 

The  Journey  of  the  Three  Kings 133 

The  Arrival  of  the  Three  Kings 137 

The  Adoration  of  the  Magi  (1) 141 

The  Adoration  of  the  Magi  (2)  .......  ..  i.j  145 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


PAGE 

The  Adoration  of  the  Three  Kings  .....  149 

The  Child’s  Twelfth  Night  Dream  . . . 153 

Father  Christmas . . . l67 

Father  Christmas  (another  conception)  171 

The  Old  and  the  New  Christmas 175 

Bringing  in  Old  Christmas 179 

The  Christmas  Waits 183 

Jongleurs  announcing  the  birth  of  our  Lord  . . . . .187 

Going  to  the  Pantomime 191 

Mute  admiration 195 

Santa  Klaus  comes  to  grief  on  an  automobile 199 

“ Noj  I don’t  believe  in  you  any  more  ” 203 

Santa  Klaus 207 

Santa  Klaus  up  in  a balloon 211 

New  Year’s  gifts  in  a French  workingman’s  family  . . .215 

French  children  going  up  the  chimney  for  gifts  . . . .219 

Silenus  and  Bacchus 223 

The  bambino 225 

Santa  Klaus  on  New  Year’s  eve 227 

The  investigating  committee 229 

St.  Nicholas  unveils  . . . :.j  . 231 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA 
KLAUS 

CHAPTER  I 

WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 

If  you  go  to  England  you  will  find  many  people 
there  who  have  never  heard  of  Santa  Klaus.  Only 
the  other  day  a leading  London  paper  confessed  that 
it  could  not  understand  why  a magazine  for  chil- 
dren should  be  called  St.  Nicholas. 

Now  if  you  were  asked  the  question  which  heads 
this  chapter  do  you  think  you  could  answer  it  so  as 
to  make  an  Englishman  understand  who  Santa  Klaus 
is?  Could  you  also  explain  what  connection  Saint 
Nicholas  has  with  children? 

Of  course  you  might  glibly  reply: 

“Santa  Klaus  is  the  Dutch  diminutive  (or  pet 
name)  for  Saint  Nicholas,  and  Saint  Nicholas  is  the 
patron  saint  of  boys  and  girls.” 

But  the  Englishman  might  want  to  know  more 
than  this.  Perhaps  you  yourself  would  be  glad  to 
know  more.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  you 

13 


14 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


with  information  that  I have  prepared  this  little  book. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  legends  which  concern  this 
holy  man  and  see  what  help  they  will  give  us.  I say 
let  us  begin  with  the  legends,  because  history  itself 
tells  us  little  or  nothing  about  the  saint  beyond  the 
fact  that  he  was  Bishop  of  a tovm  called  Myra  in 
Asia  Minor  and  that  he  died  about  the  year  342. 
Legend  fills  out  these  meagre  details  with  many  a 
pretty  story  which  throws  a kindly  light  upon  the 
character  of  good  Saint  Nicholas. 

You  know  what  a legend  is?  It  means  a story 
which  was  not  put  into  writing  by  historians  at  the 
time  when  the  thing  is  said  to  have  happened,  but 
which  has  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son  for 
hundreds  and  sometimes  for  thousands  of  years.  It 
may  or  may  not  have  had  some  basis  of  truth  at  the 
beginning.  But  after  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth 
in  this  fashion  it  is  very  likely  to  lose  what  truth  it 
once  possessed.  Still,  even  if  the  facts  are  not  given 
in  just  the  manner  in  which  they  happened  there  is 
nearly  always  some  useful  moral  VTapped  up  in  the 
fiction  that  has  grown  around  the  facts.  That  is 
why  wise  and  learned  men  are  glad  to  collect  these 
legends  from  the  lips  of  the  peasants  and  other  sim- 
ple minded  folk  who  have  learned  them  at  their 
mothers’  knee,  and  who  believe  that  they  are  all  true. 
These  legends  are  called  by  the  general  name  of 
folk-lore. 


St.  Nicholas  as  the  patron  of  children, 

Italian  print. 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 


17 


Two  brothers  of  the  name  of  Grimm  once  collected 
into  a book  the  folk-lore  of  their  native  country,  Ger- 
many. This  book  is  known  to  you  as  Grimm’s  F airy 
Tales.  Hans  Christian  Andersen  also  found  among 
the  legends  of  Denmark  some  of  the  prettiest  and 
most  fanciful  of  his  tales. 

Now  stories  concerning  Saint  Nicholas  abound  in 
almost  every  country  of  Europe,  for  almost  every 
country  except  Great  Britain  is  interested  in  his  name 
and  fame.  He  may,  indeed,  be  called  the  busiest  of 
all  the  saints.  In  the  first  place  legend  makes  him  the 
patron  saint  of  children  all  over  the  world,  no  matter 
of  what  sex  or  color  or  station  in  life.  ^ Ever  childlike 
and  humble,  so  we  are  told  by  a quaint  old  author,  “he 
keepeth  the  name  of  a child,  for  he  chose  to  keep  the 
virtues  of  meekness  and  simpleness.  Thus  he  lived  all 
his  life  in  virtues  with  this  child’s  name,  and  therefore 
children  do  him  worship  before  all  other  saints.” 

One  might  think  that  to  be  a patron  of  the  world’s 
childi’en  would  keep  one  saint  pretty  busy,  even  if  it 
did  not  exhaust  his  energies.  Not  so  with  Saint  Nich- 
olas. He  occupies  his  spare  moments  as  the  protector 
of  the  weak  against  the  strong,  of  the  poor  against  the 
rich,  of  the  servant  and  the  slave  against  the  master. 
Because  he  once  calmed  a storm  he  is  the  patron  of 
travellers  and  sailors  and  of  many  seaport  towns.  Be- 
cause he  once  converted  a gang  of  robbers  and  made 
them  restore  their  booty  to  the  men  they  had  robbed 


18 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


he  is  still  thought  to  retain  a kindly  interest  in  thieves. 

Moreover  he  is  the  patron  of  the  largest  of  all  Euro- 
pean countries,  the  empire  of  Russia. 

Now  we  will  make  our  promised  examination  of  the 
legends  which  have  gathered  around  tliis  saint  and 
given  him  a fame  so  widespread. 

Saint  Nicholas  is  said  to  have  been  born  in  a town 
called  Potara  in  Asia  Minor.  To  the  great  wonder 
of  his  nurses  he  stood  up  in  a tub  on  the  day  of  his 
birth  with  his  hands  clasped  together  and  his  eyes 
raised  to  heaven  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  having 
brought  him  into  the  world.  It  is  added  that  on  W ed- 
nesday  and  Fridays,  (both  fast  days  in  the  early 
Church)  he  would  refuse  to  take  milk  until  the  going 
down  of  the  sun. 

His  parents  died  when  he  was  very  young.  As 
they  were  wealthy  they  left  him  well  provided  with 
the  world’s  goods.  But  he  would  not  accept  them  for 
himself.  Instead  he  used  them  for  the  good  of  the 
poor  and  of  the  Church. 

When  he  was  old  enough  he  studied  for  the  priest- 
hood in  the  town  of  JNIyra  and  was  ordained  as  soon 
as  he  had  reached  man’s  estate.  He  at  once  set  sail 
on  a voyage  to  the  Holy  Land  to  visit  the  tomb  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  Jerusalem.  On  the  way  a dreadful 
storm  arose.  The  vlnds  howled  and  whistled,  the 
great  waves  shook  the  vessel  from  stem  to  stern. 

The  captain  and  the  sailors  who  had  been  used  to 


The  consecration  of  St.  Nicholas, 

Old  print 


-v'f 


■ • fl* 


‘ *'f  ll 


/ 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 


21 


bad  weather  pretty  much  all  their  lives  declared  that 
this  was  the  worst  storm  they  had  ever  known.  In- 
deed they  had  given  up  all  hope  when  the  young 
Nicholas  bade  them  be  of  good  cheer. 

His  prayers  soon  calmed  the  wind  and  the  waves, 
so  that  the  ship  reached  Alexandria  safe  and  sound. 
There  the  saint  landed  and  made  the  greater  part  of 
the  journey  from  Alexandria  to  Jerusalem  on  foot. 

Returning  by  sea,  he  wished  to  go  straight  back 
to  JNIyra.  The  captain,  however,  would  not  obey  his 
orders  and  tried  to  make  the  port  of  Alexandria. 
Then  Saint  Nicholas  prayed  again  and  another  great 
storm  arose.  And  the  captain  was  so  frightened  by 
this  evidence  of  the  saint’s  powers  that  he  gladly  lis- 
tened to  his  request  and  headed  the  ship  towards 
Myra. 

In  the  year  325  Nicholas,  then  still  a young  man, 
was  elected  Bishop  of  Myra.  On  the  day  of  his  con- 
secration to  that  office  a woman  brought  into  the 
church  a child  which  had  fallen  into  the  fire  and  been 
badly  burned.  Nicholas  made  the  sign  of  the  cross 
over  the  child  and  straightway  restored  it  to  health. 
That  is  the  first  of  his  miracles  which  showed  the 
interest  that  he  took  in  children. 

Two  other  miracles  which  are  still  more  famous 
are  thought  to  foreshadow  the  fame  he  has  won  since 
his  death  as  the  patron  of  children  and  the  bearer  of 
gifts  to  them  at  the  holy  Christmas  season. 


22 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Among  the  members  of  his  flock  (so  runs  the  first 
story)  there  was  a certain  nobleman  who  had  three 
young  daughters.  From  being  rich  he  became 
poor, — so  poor  that  he  could  not  afford  to  support 
his  daughters  nor  supply  the  dowry  which  would  en- 
able him  to  marry  them  off.  For  in  those  days,  as 
even  now  in  many  countries  in  Europe,  young  men 
expected  that  a bride  should  bring  vdth  her  a sum  of 
money  from  her  parents  with  which  the  young  couple 
could  start  housekeeping.  This  is  called  the  dowry. 

Over  and  over  the  thought  came  into  the  noble- 
man’s mind  to  tell  Fis  daughters  that  they  must  go 
away  from  home  and  seek  their  own  living  as  servants 
or  in  even  meaner  ways.  Shame  and  sorrow  alone 
held  him  dumb.  Meanwhile  the  maidens  wept  contin- 
ually, not  knowing  what  to  do,  and  having  no  bread 
to  eat.  So  their  father  grew  more  and  more  desper- 
ate.. 

At  last  the  matter  came  to  the  ears  of  Saint  Xich- 
olas.  That  kindly  soul  thought  it  a shame  that  such 
things  should  happen  in  a Christian  country.  So 
one  night  when  the  maidens  were  asleep  and  their 
father  sat  alone,  watching  and  weeping.  Saint  Xich- 
olas  took  a handful  of  gold  and  tying  it  up  in  a 
handkerchief,  or  as  some  say  placing  it  in  a purse, 
set  out  for  the  nobleman’s  house. 

He  considered  how  he  might  best  bestow  the  money 
without  making  himself  known.  While  he  stood  hes- 


St.  Nicholas  and  the  three  maidens. 

Fifteenth  century  painting. 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 


25 


itating  the  moon  came  up  from  behind  a cloud,  and 
showed  him  an  open  window.  He  threw  the  purse 
containing  the  gold  in  through  the  window  and  it  fell 
at  the  feet  of  the  father. 

Greatly  rejoiced  was  the  old  gentleman  when  the 
money  plumped  down  beside  him.  Picking  up  the 
purse  he  gave  thanks  to  God  and  presented  it  to  his 
eldest  daughter  as  her  dowry.  Thus  she  was  enabled 
to  marry  the  young  man  whom  she  loved. 

Not  long  afterwards  Saint  Nicholas  collected  to- 
gether another  purse  of  money  and  threw  it  into  the 
nobleman’s  house  just  as  he  had  done  before.  Thus 
a dowry  was  provided  for  the  second  daughter. 

And  now  the  curiosity  of  the  nobleman  was  excited. 
He  greatly  desired  to  know  who  it  was  that  had  come 
so  generously  to  his  aid.  So  he  determined  to  watch. 
When  the  good  saint  came  for  a third  time  and  made 
ready  to  throw  in  the  third  purse,  he  was  discovered, 
for  the  nobleman  seized  him  by  the  skirt  of  his  robe 
and  flung  himself  at  his  feet,  crying: 

“Oh,  Nicholas,  servant  of  God,  why  seek  to  hide 
thyself?” 

And  he  kissed  the  holy  man’s  feet  and  hands.  But 
Saint  Nicholas  made  him  promise  that  he  would  tell 
no  one  what  had  occurred. 

The  second  legend  is  much  more  wonderful.  It 
j tells  how  Saint  Nicholas  was  once  travelling  through 
i his  diocese  at  a time  when  the  people  had  been  driven 


26 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


to  the  verge  of  starvation.  One  night  he  put  up  at 
an  inn  kept  by  a very  cruel  and  very  wicked  man, 
though  nobody  in  the  neighborhood  yet  suspected 
his  guilt. 

This  monster,  finding  that  the  famine  had  made 
beef  and  mutton  extremely  scarce  and  greatly  raised 
their  price,  had  conceived  the  idea  of  filling  his  pantry 
with  the  fat  juicy  corpses  of  children  whom  he  kid- 
napped, killed  and  served  up  to  his  guests  in  all 
varieties  of  nicely  cooked  dishes  and  under  all  sorts 
of  fancy  names. 

Nobody  could  guess  how  he  alone  of  all  the  inn- 
keepers in  that  neighborhood  could  maintain  a table 
so  well  supplied  with  meats,  boiled  and  roasted,  and 
stews  and  hashes  and  nice  tasty  soups. 

But  no  sooner  had  a dish  of  this  human  flesh  been 
served  up  to  the  saint  than  he  discovered  the  horrible 
truth. 

Leaping  to  his  feet  he  poured  out  his  anger  in 
bitter  but  righteous  words.  Vainl}’’  the  landlord 
fawned  and  cringed  and  protested  that  he  was  inno- 
cent. Saint  Nicholas  simply  walked  over  to  the  tub 
where  the  bodies  of  the  children  had  been  salted  dovTi. 
All  he  had  to  do  was  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 
over  the  tub,  and  lo!  three  little  boj^s,  who  had  been 
missing  for  days,  arose  alive  and  well,  and,  coming 
out  of  the  tub,  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  saint. 


St.  Nicliolas  resuscitating  tlie  schoolboys. 
Old  Xeapolitan  print. 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 


29 


All  the  other  guests  of  the  inn  were  struck  dumb 
at  the  miracle.  The  children  were  restored  to  their 
mother,  who  was  a widow.  As  to  the  landlord,  he 
was  taken  out  and  stoned  to  death,  as  he  richly  de- 
served to  be. 

Another  of  St.  Nicholas’  miracles  shows  that  he 
had  a kind  heart  for  grovm-ups  as  well  as  for  the 
young  folk.  A revolt  having  broken  out  in  Phrygia, 
Emperor  Constantine  sent  a number  of  his  tribunes 
to  quell  it.  When  they  had  reached  Myra,  the  bishop 
invited  them  to  his  table  so  that  they  would  not  quar- 
ter themselves  on  poorer  citizens,  who  might  be  ill 
able  to  afford  their  keep. 

A grand  banquet  was  served  up  to  them.  As  host 
and  guests  were  preparing  to  sit  down,  news  was 
brought  into  the  hall  that  the  prefect  of  the  city  had 
condemned  three  men  to  death,  on  a false  accusation 
that  they  were  rebels.  They  had  just  been  led  to 
execution  and  the  whole  city  was  in  a ferment  of  ex- 
citement over  this  terrible  act  of  injustice. 

Nicholas  rose  at  once  from  the  table.  Followed 
by  his  guests  he  ran  to  the  place  of  execution.  There 
he  found  the  three  men  kneeling  on  the  ground,  their 
eyes  bound  with  bandages,  and  the  executioner  stand- 
ing over  them  waving  his  bared  sword  in  the  air. 
Nicholas  snatched  the  sword  out  of  his  hand.  Then 
he  ordered  the  men  to  be  unbound.  No  one  dared 


30 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


to  disobey  him.  Even  the  prefect  fell  upon  his  knees 
and  humhly  craved  forgiveness,  which  was  granted 
with  some  reluctance. 

Meanwhile  the  tribunes,  looking  on  at  the  scene, 
were  filled  with  wonder  and  admiration.  They,  too, 
cast  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  holy  man  and  be- 
sought his  blessing.  Then,  having  feasted  their  fill 
on  the  banquet  that  had  been  provided  for  them, 
the  tribunes  continued  their  journey  to  Phrygia. 

They,  too,  it  was  decreed  were  to  fall  under  the 
ban  of  a false  accusation.  During  their  absence 
from  Constantinople,  Constantine’s  mind  had  been 
poisoned  against  them  by  their  enemies.  Immedi- 
ately on  their  return  he  cast  them  into  prison.  They 
were  tried  and  condemned  to  death  as  traitors.  From 
the  dungeon  into  which  they  had  been  cast  to  await  the 
carrying  out  of  this  sentence  they  sent  out  a piteous 
prayer  to  St.  Nicholas  for  assistance.  Though  he 
was  hundreds  of  miles  away,  he  heard  them. 

And  that  same  night  he  appeared  to  Constantine 
in  a dream,  commanding  hhn  to  release  these  men 
and  to  declare  them  innocent, — threatening  him  at  the 
same  time  with  the  wrath  of  God  if  he  refused.  Con- 
stantine did  not  refuse.  He  took  the  saint’s  word 
for  their  innocence,  pardoned  them,  and  set  them  free. 
Next  morning  he  despatched  them  to  INIyra  to  thank 
Saint  Nicholas  in  person  for  their  happy  deliverance. 
As  a thank  offering  they  bore  him  a copy  of  the 


Bishop  Nicholas. 

From  old  Italian  print. 


• ) 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS? 


33 


gospels,  written  in  letters  of  gold,  and  bound  in  a 
cover  embossed  with  pearls  and  precious  stones. 

Nor  did  the  saint’s  miracles  end  with  his  life.  Even 
after  death  he  listened  from  his  high  place  in  heaven 
to  the  prayers  of  the  humblest  and  gladly  hastened 
to  their  assistance  when  they  asked  for  help  in  the 
right  spirit  and  at  the  right  time. 

Here  are  three  legends  which  have  been  especially 
popular  in  literature  and  art. 

A Jew  of  Calabria,  hearing  of  the  wonderful 
miracles  which  had  been  performed  by  Saint  Nicholas, 
stole  his  image  out  of  the  parish  church  and  bore  it 
away  to  his  home.  There  he  placed  it  in  his  parlor. 
And  when,  next  day,  he  had  made  ready  to  go  out 
for  the  morning  he  commended  all  his  treasures  to 
I the  care  of  the  saint,  impudently  threatening  that  his 
i image  would  be  soundly  thrashed  if  he  failed  in  his 
: trust.  No  sooner  was  the  Jew’s  back  turned,  how- 

Iever,  than  robbers  broke  into  the  house  and  carried  off 
all  its  treasures.  Great  was  the  Jew’s  wrath  when  he 
returned.  Bitter  were  the  reproaches  he  hurled  at 
the  saint.  Many  and  fierce  were  the  whacks  he  be- 
stowed upon  the  image. 

That  very  night  Saint  Nicholas,  all  bruised  and 
bleeding,  appeared  to  the  robbers,  and  commanded 
them  immediately  to  restore  what  they  had  taken. 
Terrified  at  the  vision  they  leaped  to  their  feet,  col- 
llected  the  plunder,  and  brought  it  back  to  the  Jew’s 


34 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


house.  The  Jew  was  so  astonished  at  the  miracle  that 
he  was  easily  converted  to  Christianity  and  baptized. 

There  was  a wealthy  man  who,  though  married, 
had  no  son  to  inlierit  his  estate.  This  man  vowed  that 
if  Saint  Nicholas  would  provide  him  with  an  heir 
he  would  present  a cup  of  gold  to  the  saint’s  altar 
at  Myra.  Saint  Nicholas  heard  the  praj^er  and, 
through  his  intercession,  God  sent  the  childless  man 
a son.  At  once  the  father  ordered  the  cup  of  gold 
to  be  prepared.  When  it  was  finished,  however,  it 
seemed  so  beautiful  in  his  eyes  that  he  decided  to  j 
keep  it  for  himself  and  offer  the  saint  a meaner  one 
made  of  silver.  When  this,  too,  was  finished,  the  mer- 
chant with  his  son  set  out  to  make  the  presentation. 
On  the  journey  he  stopped  by  a river  to  quench  his  I 
thirst.  Taking  out  the  golden  cup  he  bade  the  son  i 
fetch  him  some  water.  In  obeying  the  child  fell  into  i 
the  river  and  was  drowned. 

Weeping  bitter  tears  of  repentance  the  merchant  j 
appeared  in  the  church  of  Saint  Nicholas  and  there  i 
made  his  offering  of  the  silver  cup.  But  the  cup  I 
would  not  stay  where  it  was  put.  Once,  twice,  thrice,  j 
it  fell  off  the  altar.  | 

While  all  the  people  stared  with  astonislmient,  be-  | 
hold  the  drowned  boy  appeared  before  them, — stand-  ■ 
ing  on  the  steps  of  the  altar  with  the  golden  cup  in  i 
his  hand.  Full  of  joy  and  gratitude,  the  father  of-  ' 


St.  Nicholas  of  Bari. 

Old  Italian  print. 


WHO  IS  SANTA  KLAUS?  87 

fered  both  the  cups  to  the  saint  and  bore  his  son  home 
with  thanksgivings  to  God  and  to  His  saint. 

A certain  rich  merchant,  himself  a Christian,  dwelt 
on  the  borders  of  a heathen  country.  He  cultivated 
a special  devotion  to  Saint  Nicholas.  One  day  his 
only  son  was  taken  captive  by  some  of  the  wicked 
neighbors  across  the  boundary  line  and  sold  into 
slavery.  The  lad  finally  became  the  property  of  the 
pagan  king,  and  served  him  as  his  cup-bearer. 

One  day,  while  filling  the  royal  cup  at  dinner  he 
suddenly  remembered  that  it  was  December  6,  and 
the  feast  of  Saint  Nicholas.  He  burst  into  tears  at 
the  thought  that  his  family  were  even  then  gathered 
around  the  dinner  table  in  honor  of  their  patron. 

“Why  weepest  thou?”  testily  asked  the  king. 
“Seest  thou  not  that  thy  tears  fall  into  my  cup  and 
spoil  my  wine?” 

And  the  boy  answered  through  his  sobs : 

“This  is  the  day  when  my  parents  and  my  kindred 
are  met  together  in  great  joy  to  honor  our  good  Saint 
Nicholas;  and  I,  alas!  am  far  away  from  them.” 

Then  the  pagan  blasphemer  swore  a good  round 
oath  and  said: 

“Great  as  is  thy  Saint  Nicholas,  he  cannot  save  thee 
from  my  hand!” 

Hardly  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth  when  a 
whirlwind  shook  the  palace.  A flash  of  lightning 


38 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


was  followed  by  a loud  peal  of  thunder  and  lo!  Saint 
Nicholas  himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  affrighted 
feasters.  He  caught  the  youth  up  by  the  hair  of  his 
head  so  suddenly  that  he  had  no  time  to  di’op  the  royal 
cup,  and  whirled  him  through  the  air  at  a prodigious 
speed  until,  a few  moments  later,  he  landed  him  in 
his  home.  The  family  were  gathered  in  the  dining 
room  when  saint  and  boy  made  their  appearance, — ^the 
father  being  even  then  engaged  in  distributing  the 
banquet  to  the  poor,  beseeching  in  return  that  they 
would  offer  up  their  prayers  in  behalf  of  his  cap- 
tive son. 


CHAPTER  II 


STRANGE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  SAINT^S  BODY 

St.  Nicholas^  as  I have  said,  died  in  the  year  342 
and  was  buried  with  great  honor  in  the  cathedral 
at  Myra. 

Being  the  patron  saint  of  such  roving  folk  as  sail- 
ors, merchants  and  travellers  it  was  only  natural  that 
his  body  should  have  lain  in  perpetual  peril  from 
thievish  hands.  The  rehcs  of  saints  were  highly 
prized  because  it  was  held  that  they  performed  mir- 
acles on  behalf  of  the  townsfolk  and  of  the  strangers 
who  visited  their  shrines.  Of  course  the  relics  of  so 
great  and  popular  a saint  as  Nicholas  were  especially 
coveted,  and  most  so  by  the  classes  of  whom  he  was 
the  patron. 

In  those  rude  days  it  was  believed  that  no  saint  was 
greatly  troubled  by  the  manner  in  which  his  body  was 
procured.  Even  if  it  were  stolen  and  reburied  else- 
where by  the  robbers  themselves  the  body  worked 
miracles  in  its  new  abode  as  cheerfully  as  it  had  done 
in  the  old  one.  Moreover  it  drew  trade  and  custom 
to  any  city  in  which  it  was  enshrined  and  so  brought 
wealth  to  the  people  of  the  entire  neighborhood, 

39 


'40  iTHE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 

In  fact  pilgrims  from  various  parts  of  the  world 
came  in  crowds  to  the  shrine  at  INIyra.  As  the  fame 
of  Saint  Nicholas  increased  so  did  the  value  of  his 
relics.  At  various  times  during  the  first  six  centuries 
after  his  burial  attempts  were  made  to  carry  off  his 
body  by  force  or  by  fraud. 

None  of  these  attempts  was  successful  until,  in  the 
year  1084,  certain  merchants  from  the  ciW  of  Bari, 
in  southeastern  Italy,  landed  at  JVIjrra  to  find  that  the 
entire  countryside  had  been  laid  waste  by  an  invasion 
of  the  Turks.  All  the  men  who  could  bear  arms  had 
gathered  together  and  were  now  gone  in  pursuit  of 
the  invaders.  Three  monks  only  had  been  left  behind 
to  stand  guard  over  the  shrine  of  Saint  Nicholas. 

It  was  an  easy  task  for  the  merchants  of  Bari  to 
overpower  these  monks,  break  open  the  coffin  which 
contained  the  body  and  bear  it  away  with  them  to  their 
own  city. 

Here  it  was  received  with  great  joy.  A fine  new 
church  was  built  on  the  site  of  an  old  one  which  had 
been  dedicated  to  Saint  Stephen  and  wliich  was  now 
torn  down  to  make  room  for  its  successor.  This  was 
to  serve  as  a shrine  for  the  stolen  body.  The  new 
church  is  still  standing  and  though  it  is  now  old  it 
is  still  magnificent.  In  a crj^pt  or  vault  under  its 
high  altar  lies  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  one-time 
Bishop  of  Myra.  On  the  very  day  of  the  re-burial, 
so  it  is  said,  no  less  than  thirty  people  who  attended 


Selected  from  Raphael’s  pictures. 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  SAINT’S  BODY 


43 


the  ceremony  were  cured  of  their  various  ailments. 

Such  is  the  story  that  is  generally  accepted.  But 
another  story  was  and  is  told  by  the  people  of  Venice. 
They,  too,  claim  that  they  possess  the  body  of  Saint 
Nicholas,  and  insist  that  it  was  taken  from  Myra  by 
Venetian  merchants  in  the  year  1100,  and  reburied  in 
Venice  by  the  citizens. 

They  do  not  accept  the  story  told  by  the  Bari  mer- 
chants, but  declare  that  the  latter  carried  off  from 
another  spot  the  body  of  another  saint,  possibly  of 
the  same  name,  which  they  palmed  off  upon  their 
fellow  citizens  as  the  body  of  the  former  Bishop  of 
Myra. 

The  true  body,  they  claim,  is  that  which  lies  to-day, 
as  it  has  lain  for  centuries,  in  the  church  of  St.  Nich- 
olas on  the  Lido.  The  Lido  is  a bank  of  sand  which 
projects,  promontory  fashion,  out  of  the  Grand  Canal 
in  Venice  into  the  Adriatic  Sea. 

The  fame  of  a holy  man  so  closely  connected  with 
two  great  trading  ports  of  the  Middle  Ages  was  sure 
to  spread  wider  and  wider  among  the  nations  of 
Europe.  And,  indeed,  we  find  that  everywhere  sail- 
ors acknowledged  him  as  their  special  guide  and  pro- 
tector and  sang  his  praises  wherever  they  landed. 

Both  at  Bari  and  at  Venice  the  churches  dedicated 
in  his  honor  stand  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbor. 
Venetian  crews  on  their  way  out  to  sea  would  land 
at  the  Lido  and  proceed  to  the  church  of  St.  Nicholas, 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


'U 

there  to  ask  for  a blessing  on  their  voyage.  There 
also  they  would  stop  on  their  home-coming  to  give 
thanks  for  a safe  return.  Sailors  of  Bari  would  in 
the  same  way  honor  the  shrine  in  which  lay  what 
they  claimed  was  the  true  body  of  Saint  Nicholas. 

Many  tales  of  miraculous  escapes  from  shipwreck, 
due  to  the  intercession  of  their  patron,  were  related 
by  seamen  and  travellers,  not  only  at  home,  hut  at 
the  various  ports  where  they  stopped,  so  that  the  name 
and  fame  of  the  good  Saint  Nicholas  grew  more 
resplendent  every  year.  Churches  erected  in  his 
honor  abound  in  the  fishing  villages  and  harbors  of 
Europe. 

In  England  alone,  before  the  Reformation,  there 
were  376  churches  which  bore  his  name.  The  largest 
parish  church  in  the  entire  land  is  that  of  St.  Nicholas 
at  Yarmouth,  which  was  built  in  the  twelfth  century 
and  retains  that  name  to  the  present  day.  Some  of 
the  other  churches  were  rebaptized  by  the  Protestants. 

The  churches  dedicated  to  Saint  Nicholas  in  Cath- 
olic countries  are  especially  dear  to  people  who  make 
their  living  out  of  the  sea.  Sailors  and  fishermen 
when  ashore  frequent  them,  and  if  they  have  just 
escaped  from  any  of  the  perils  of  the  deep  they  show 
gratitude  to  their  patron  by  hanging  up  on  the  church 
walls  what  are  known  as  votive  pictures.  These  are 
either  prints  of  the  saint  or  sketches,  rudely  drawn  by 
local  artists,  winch  represent  the  danger  that  the  sail- 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  SAINT’S  BODY 


45 


ors  had  run  and  the  manner  in  which  they  had  escaped. 
Often  a figure  of  Saint  Nicholas  appears  in  the  dark- 
ened heavens  to  calm  the  fears  of  the  imperilled 
mariners. 

It  is  fishermen  and  sailors  also  who  take  the  chief 
part  in  the  great  festival  in  honor  of  Saint  Nicholas 
that  is  celebrated  at  Bari  on  the  fifth  and  sixth  of 
December  in  every  year. 

Bari,  it  may  be  well  to  explain,  is  a very  old  and 
still  a very  important  seaport  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
southern  Italy.  It  is  situated  on  a small  peninsula 
projecting  into  the  Adriatic.  From  very  early  days 
the  city  has  been  the  official  seat  of  an  archbishop  and 
hence  possesses  a grand  old  cathedral. 

Grand,  however,  as  is  this  cathedral,  it  is  eclipsed 
both  in  beauty  and  in  popular  regard  by  the  church 
of  Saint  Nicholas  which  I have  already  mentioned 
as  containing  the  bones  of  the  saint.  These  repose 
in  a sepulchre,  or  huge  tomb,  that  stands  in  a mag- 
nificent crypt  some  twenty  feet  beneath  the  high  altar. 
Water  trickles  out  through  the  native  rock  which 
forms  the  tomb.  It  is  collected  by  the  priests  on 
a sponge  attached  to  a reed,  is  squeezed  into  bottles, 
and  sold  or  given  away  under  the  name  of  “Manna 
of  Saint  Nicholas”  as  a cure  for  many  ailments. 

On  the  eve  of  Saint  Nicholas’  Day,  that  is  on  the 
day  before  it  (December  5th)  the  city  of  Bari  is 
overrun  by  hosts  of  pilgrims  from  the  neighboring 


46 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


cities,  as  well  as  others  from  the  furthest  corners  of 
Italy  and  even  from  Mediterranean  France  and 
Spain  and  Adriatic  Austria.  All  Catholic  mariners 
whose  ships  happen  to  be  lying  in  port  at  the  time 
are  sure  to  join  the  throng. 

The  pilgruhs  carry  staffs  decorated  with  olive,  palm 
or  pine  branches.  From  each  staff  depends  a water 
bottle,  which  is  to  be  filled  with  the  manna  of  Saint 
Nicholas.  Most  of  the  pilgrims  are  barefoot.  All 
are  clad  in  the  picturesque  costumes  in  use  in  their 
native  places  on  hohday  occasions. 

On  entering  the  church  the  pilgrims  may,  if  they 
choose,  make  a complete  circuit  of  it,  moving  around 
on  their  knees  with  their  foreheads  pressed  every  now 
and  then  against  the  marble  pavement.  Often  a lit- 
tle child  leads  them  by  means  of  a string  or  handker- 
chief, one  end  being  held  in  the  mouth  of  the  pilgrim. 

Next  day,  December  6th, — the  actual  feast  of  Saint 
Nicholas, — is  celebrated  by  a procession  of  the  seafar- 
ing men  of  Bari.  Rising  at  daybreak  they  enter  the 
church  early  in  the  morning.  The  priests,  who  have 
assembled  to  greet  them,  take  dovm  from  the  altar  a 
wooden  image  of  Saint  Nicholas,  clad  in  the  robes 
of  a bishop.  This  is  handed  over  to  the  care  of  the 
y paraders  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  priests  may 
j accompany  the  image  only  as  far  as  the  outer  gate  of 
the  church.  The  procession,  with  the  image  in  the 
hands  of  its  leaders,  files  out  into  the  street  and,  fol- 


The  Clirist  child  surrounded  hy  angels. 

Fainting  liy  Rnhens. 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  SAINT’S  BODY 


49 


lowed  by  the  populace,  visits  the  cathedral  and  other 
sacred  or  pubhc  places.  Then  the  leaders  take  Saint 
Nicholas  out  to  sea  in  a boat.  Hundreds  of  other 
boats  accommodate  their  fellow  paraders,  as  also  such 
of  the  citizens  as  can  afford  the  luxury,  and  follow 
Saint  Nicholas  over  the  waves. 

The  shore  meanwhile  is  hned  with  the  bulk  of  the 
populace  of  Bari  and  the  pilgrim  visitors  who  eagerly 
await  the  return  of  the  image  at  nightfall.  Bonfires 
are  then  burned,  rockets  are  shot  off,  everybody  who 
possesses  a candle  or  torch  lights  it  and  the  people  fall 
in  line  with  the  paraders  to  restore  the  sacred  image  to 
its  guardians  at  the  church. 


CHAPTER  III 


CHRIST-KINKXE  AND  CHRIST- KINDLEIN 

I HAVE  now  told  you  all  that  is  kno^\Ti  of  the  story 
of  Saint  Nicholas  during  his  lifetime  and  even  after 
his  death.  I think  you  will  agree  that  we  have  not 
yet  gone  very  far  in  identifying  Santa  Klaus,  the 
modern  Saint  Nicholas,  with  the  historic  saint  who 
was  once  Bishop  of  Myra. 

It  is  true  that  some  learned  men  have  thought  to 
find  in  the  legend  of  the  three  maidens  an  answer 
to  a couple  of  problems  that  bother  the  inquiring 
mind. 

First  they  explain  that  the  three  purses  of  gold, 
which,  in  pictures  by  the  old  Italian  masters,  figure 
as  three  golden  balls,  and  which  were  looked  upon  as 
the  special  symbol  or  sign  of  the  charitable  Saint  Nich- 
olas, are  the  origin  of  those  three  gilt  balls  which 
swing  over  a pawmbroker’s  shop  in  token  of  that  well- 
spring  of  human  kindness  which  has  earned  for  him 
the  affectionate  title  of  “uncle.” 

If  you  have  a fine  sense  of  humor  you  will  see  that 
the  last  sentence  is  sarcasm.  And  if  you  have  small 
love  for  clever  explanations  that  don’t  explain,  you 

50 


Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me, 

Painting  by  B.  Plockhorst. 


CHRIST-KINKLE  AND  CHRIST-KINDLEIN  58 

will  reject  this  theory  of  the  origin  of  the  pawn- 
broker’s sign  and  prefer  to  believe  that  it  sprang 
from  the  gilt  pills  which  adorned  the  shield  of  the 
great  Medici  family  of  Italy.  iVIedici  means  doc- 
tors. Both  the  name  and  the  shield  were  reminders 
that  the  family  earned  their  first  fame  as  physicians 
many  years  before  they  became  the  greatest  princes 
and  money  changers  of  Europe. 

But  the  other  theory,  what  of  that?  The  other 
theory  is  more  to  the  point.  It  assumes  that  the 
Saint  Nicholas  who  was  Bishop  of  INIyra  is  the  Santa 
Klaus  of  modern  Christmas,  whom  he  pre-figured 
in  the  fact  that  he  appeared  in  the  night-time  and 
secretly  made  valuable  presents  to  the  children  of  a 
certain  household. 

Here  is  some  appearance  of  truth.  In  the  first 
place  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Santa  Klaus  and 
I Saint  Nicholas  are  the  same  name.  Indeed  to  this 
I day  our  Christmas  saint  is  known  either  as  Santa 
Klaus  or  Saint  Nicholas,  Klaus  in  Dutch  being  “short 
and  sweet”  for  Nicholaus,  and,  as  such,  the  same  as 
our  Nick  for  Nicholas. 

But,  after  all,  there  seems  to  be  little  likeness  in 
; other  respects  between  the  saint  of  the  legend  and  the 
i modern  patron  of  the  Christmas  season.  What  con- 
nection is  there  between  a single  case  of  charity,  per- 
formed at  no  particular  time,  with  the  splendid  and 
I widespread  generosity  of  Santa  Klaus,  who  every 

I 

1 

I 


54 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Christmas  eve  loads  himself  dovm  with  presents  for 
the  little  ones  he  loves,  and  finds  means  to  distribute 
them  all  over  the  land  in  a single  night? 

As  the  answer  is  not  apparent  on  the  surface,  let 
us  turn  to  the  other  legend.  We  shall  have  to  con- 
fess however  that  the  story  of  the  three  school  boys 
miraculously  restored  to  life  after  they  had  been  cut 
up  and  salted  down,  helps  us  even  less  than  does  the 
story  of  the  three  purses.  It  is  simply  one  of  a whole 
group  of  stories  wherein  Saint  Nicholas  appears  as 
the  friend  and  benefactor  of  children.  In  this  re- 
spect only  does  he  resemble  our  Santa  Klaus. 

In  all  the  characteristics  which  modern  painters 
and  story  tellers,  in  America,  in  Holland  and  in  Ger- 
many, have  bestowed  upon  the  jolly  saint  of  the 
Christmas  season  he  differs  entirely  from  the  slender 
and  even  emaciated  Nicholas,  clad  in  the  robes  of  a 
bishop,  with  a mitre  on  his  head  and  a crozier  in  his 
hand,  whom  the  early  painters  were  fond  of  depicting. 

So  the  legends  of  Saint  Nicholas  afford  but  a slight 
clew  to  the  origin  of  Santa  Klaus, — ahke,  indeed,  in 
name  but  so  unlike  in  all  other  respects. 

Let  us  turn  elsewhere.  In  Germany  and  to  a cer- 
tain extent  in  America  the  name  Christ-Kinkle  or 
Kriss-Kingle  is  looked  upon  as  another  name  for 
Santa  Klaus.  But  in  fact  history  teaches  us  that 
is  a far  different  Being,  though  the  two  have  been 
welded  into  one  in  the  popular  imagination. 


Christ  the  giver. 

Painting  by  Murillo. 


CHRIST-KINKLE  AND  CHRIST-KINDLEIN  57 

A very  small  knowledge  of  German  reveals  the  fact 
that  Christ-Kinkle  is  simply  a “corruption”  or  mis- 
taken prommciation  of  the  German  word  Christ- 
Kindlein  which  in  English  means  Christ  child.  N ow 
the  connection  of  the  Christ  child  with  the  gift-giving 
season  is  obvious  enough.  In  the  first  place  He  is 
the  hero  of  Christmas  day  itself.  Born  a human 
child  He  ever  preserved  a great  love  for  young 
people. 

“Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,”  He  said, 
“for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,” 

The  old  masters  were  fond  of  painting  Him  as  a 
child  among  children.  In  nearly  all  the  famous  pic- 
tures which  Raphael,  the  greatest  of  Italian  artists, 
painted  of  the  Holy  Family  or  of  the  Madonna  and 
Child,  the  infant  Jesus  is  accompanied  by  the  infant 
Saint  John  as  friend  and  playmate. 


CHAPTER  IVi 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  CHEISTMAS 

Now  I must  own  that  at  first  sight  it  is  difficult 
to  explain  how  the  Christ-child  of  the  past — the  Holy 
One  whose  birth  is  remembered  and  honored  in  that 
feast  whieh  we  call  Christmas,  should  gradually  have 
been  changed  into  the  white-haired,  white-bearded, 
merry-hearted  and  kindly  old  pagan  whom  we  some- 
times call  Christ-Kinkle  but  more  frequentlj^  Santa 
Klaus. 

Yet  at  the  very  moment  when  we  come  face  to  face 
with  this  difficult  problem  we  have  reached  the  expla- 
nation which  seemed  impossible  when  we  strove  to 
understand  the  mueh  less  starthng  transformation  of 
Saint  Nicholas,  Bishop  of  ISIyra,  into  Santa  Klaus, 
patron  of  the  Christmas  season. 

We  remember  that  the  Christmas  festival  of  to-day 
is  a gradual  evolution  from  times  that  long  antedated 
the  Christian  period.  We  remember  that  though  it 
celebrates  the  mightiest  event  in  the  history  of 
Christendom,  it  was  overlaid  upon  heathen  festivals, 
and  many  of  its  observances  are  only  adaptations  of 
pagan  to  Christian  ceremonial. 

58 


Cliristnias  presents. 

Painting  by  P.  Defregger. 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  CHRISTMAS 


61 


This  was  no  mere  accident.  It  was  a necessary- 
measure  at  a time  when  the  new  religion  was  forcing 
itself  upon  a deeply  superstitious  people.  In  order 
to  reconcile  fresh  converts  to  the  new  faith,  and  to 
make  the  breaking  of  old  ties  as  painless  as  possible, 
these  relics  of  paganism  were  retained  under  modified 
forms,  in  the  same  way  that  antique  columns,  trans- 
ferred from  pagan  temples,  became  parts  of  the  new 
churches  built  by  Christians  in  honor  of  their  God 
and  his  saints. 

Thus  we  find  that  when  Pope  Gregory  sent  Saint 
Augustine  as  a missionary  to  convert  Anglo-Saxon 
England  he  directed  that  so  far  as  possible  the  saint 
should  accommodate  the  new  and  strange  Christian 
rites  to  the  heathen  ones  with  which  the  natives  had 
been  familiar  from  their  birth.  For  example,  he  ad- 
vised Saint  Augustine  to  allow  his  converts  on  certain 
festivals  to  eat  and  kill  a great  number  of  oxen  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father,  as  formerly  they  had 
done  this  in  honor  of  the  devil.  All  pagan  gods,  it 
should  be  explained,  were  looked  upon  as  devils  by 
the  early  Christians. 

On  the  very  Christmas  after  his  arrival  in  England 
Saint  Augustine  baptized  many  thousands  of  con- 
verts and  permitted  their  usual  December  celebration 
under  the  new  name  and  with  the  new  meaning.  He 
forbade  only  the  mingling  together  of  Christians  and 
pagans  in  the  dances. 


62 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


From  these  early  pagan-Christian  eeremonies  are 
derived  many  of  the  English  hohday  customs  that 
have  survived  to  our  day. 

Now  get  clearly  into  your  head  one  very  important 
fact.  Although  at  the  time  when  Augustine  visited 
England  the  date  of  Christmas  had  been  fixed  upon 
as  December  25  there  is  no  biblical  reason  why  this 
should  be  so.  The  gospels  say  nothing  about  the 
season  of  the  year  when  Christ  was  born.  On  the 
other  hand  they  do  tell  us  that  shepherds  were  then 
guarding  their  flocks  in  the  open  air.  Hence  many 
of  the  early  fathers  of  the  Church  considered  it  most 
likely  that  the  Nativity  took  place  either  in  the  late 
summer  or  the  early  fall.  The  point  was  of  no  great 
moment  to  them,  as  the  early  Church  made  more  fuss 
over  the  death  day  of  a great  or  holy  person  than 
over  his  birthday.  The  birthday  is  only  the  day  when 
man  is  born  into  mortality,  the  deathday  chronicles 
his  birth  into  immortality. 

The  important  fact  then  which  I have  asked  you 
to  get  clearly  into  your  head  is  that  the  fixing  of  the 
date  as  December  25th  was  a compromise  vdth  pagan- 
ism. 

For  countless  centuries  before  the  Christian  era 
pagan  Europe,  through  all  its  various  tribes  and  peo- 
ples, had  been  accustomed  to  celebrate  its  chief  fes- 
tival at  the  time  of  the  winter  solstice,  the  turning 
point  when  winter,  ha\dng  reached  its  apogee,  has 


Saturn,  tlie  God  of  Time. 

Painting  by  Raphael. 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  CHRISTMAS 


65 


also  reached  the  point  when  it  must  begin  to  decline 
again  towards  spring. 

The  last  sentence  requires  further  explanation.  I 
shall  try  to  put  it  into  words  as  simple  as  possible. 

You  must  be  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  shortest 
day  in  the  year  is  December  21st.  Therefore  that 
is  the  day  when  winter  reaches  its  height. 

It  was  on  or  about  December  21st  that  the  an- 
cient Greeks  celebrated  what  are  known  to  us  as 
the  Bacchanalia  or  festivities  in  honor  of  Bacchus,* 
the  god  of  wine.  In  these  festivities  the  people  gave 
themselves  up  to  songs,  dances  and  other  revels  which 
frquently  passed  the  limits  of  decency  and  order. 

In  ancient  Rome  the  Saturnalia,  or  festivals  in 
honor  of  Saturn,  the  god  of  time,  began  on  Decem- 
ber 17th  and  continued  for  seven  days.  These  also 
often  ended  in  riot  and  disorder.  Hence  the  words 
Bacchanalia  and  Saturnalia  acquired  an  evil  reputa- 
tion in  later  times. 

We  are  most  interested  in  the  festivals  of  the  an- 
cient Teutonic  (or  German)  tribes  because  they  are 
most  closely  linked  with  Christmas  as  we  ourselves 
celebrate  it. 

The  pagan  feast  of  the  Twelve  Nights  was  relig- 
iously kept  by  them  from  December  25th  to  January 

* Bacchus  is  the  Latin  name  for  this  God.  The  Greek  name  was 
Dionysos.  This  festival  therefore  is  more  properly  the  Dionysiac  feast, 
but  the  habit  of  calling  Greek  Gods  by  their  Roman  names  is  so  general 
among  us  that  it  is  as  well  to  stick  to  Bacchus  and  Bacchanalia, 


66 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


6th,  the  latter  day  being  known,  as  it  is  still  known 
to  their  descendants,  as  Twelfth  Night.  The  Teu- 
tonic mind  personified  the  active  forces  of  nature, — 
that  is  to  say  it  pictured  them  as  living  beings. 

The  conflicts  between  these  forces  were  represented 
as  battles  between  gods  and  giants. 

Winter,  for  example,  was  the  Ice-giant, — cruel, 
boisterous,  unruly,  the  destroyer  of  life,  the  enemy 
alike  of  gods  and  men.  Riding  on  his  steed,  the  all- 
stiffening  North  Wind,  he  built  up  for  himself  great 
castles  of  ice.  Darkness  and  death  followed  in  his 
wake. 

But  the  Sun-god  and  the  South  Wind,  sjnnbols 
of  light  and  life,  gave  battle  to  the  Ice-giant.  At 
last  Thor,  the  god  of  the  Thunderstorm,  riding  on 
the  wings  of  the  air,  hurled  his  thunderbolt  at  the 
winter  castle,  and  demohshed  it.  Then  Freija,  the 
goddess  of  fruits  and  flow^ers,  resumed  her  former 
sway.  All  of  which  is  only  a poetical  way  of  sapng 
that  after  the  Ice-giant  had  conquered  in  winter  he 
was  in  his  turn  overthrown  by  the  Sun-god  in  spring. 

Now  the  twenty -first  day  of  December,  the  depth 
of  winter,  marked  the  period  when  the  Ice-giant  was 
in  the  full  flush  of  his  trimnph  and  also  marked  the 
beginning  of  his  overthrow.  It  w'as  the  turning 
point  in  the  conflict  of  natural  forces.  The  Sun-god 
having  reached  the  goal  of  the  winter  solstice,  now 
wheeled  around  his  fiery  steeds  and  became  the  sure 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  CHRISTMAS  67 

herald  of  the  coming  victory  of  light  and  life  over 
darkness  and  death  of  spring  over  winter. 

A thousand  indications  point  to  the  fact  that 
Christmas  has  incorporated  into  itself  all  these  fes- 
tivals, Greek,  Roman  and  German,  and  given  them 
a new  meaning.  The  wild  revels  of  the  Bacchanalia, 
the  Saturnalia  and  the  Twelve  Nights  survive  in  a 
milder  form  in  the  merriment  and  jollity  which  mark 
the  season  of  Christmas  to-day. 

Christmas  gifts  themselves  remind  us  of  the  pres- 
ents that  were  exchanged  in  Rome  during  the  Satur- 
nalia. In  Rome,  it  might  be  added,  the  presents  usu- 
ally took  the  form  of  wax  tapers  and  dolls, — the  latter 
being  in  their  turn  a survival  of  the  human  sacrifices 
once  offered  to  Saturn. 

It  is  a queer  thought  that  in  our  Christmas  presents 
we  are  preserving  under  another  form  one  of  the 
most  savage  customs  of  our  barbarian  ancestors! 

The  shouts  of  “Bona  Saturnalia!”  which  the  Ro- 
man people  exchanged  among  themselves  are  the  pre- 
cursors of  our  “Merry  Christmas!”  The  decorations 
and  illuminations  of  our  Christian  churches  recall  the 
temples  of  Saturn,  radiant  with  burning  tapers  and 
resplendent  with  garlands.  The  masks  and  mum- 
meries which  still  survive  here  and  there,  even  in  the 
America  of  to-day,  and  which  were  especially  prom- 
inent in  the  Middle  Ages,  were  prominent  also  in  the 
Saturnalian  revels. 


68 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS, 


And  a large  number  of  the  legends,  superstitions 
and  ceremonials  which  have  crystallized  around  the 
Christian  festival  in  Europe  and  America  are  more 
or  less  distorted  reminiscences  of  the  legends,  super- 
stitions and  ceremonials  of  the  Twelve  Nights  of 
ancient  Germany. 


CHAPTER  V 


/■ 


SILENUS^  SATURN^  THOR 

And  now  you  may  be  tempted  to  ask,  “What  bear- 
ing has  all  this  stutF  about  the  pagan  festivals  upon 
the  question  of  the  identity  of  our  old  friend  Santa 
Klaus  ? 

I am  coming  to  that.  In  every  one  of  these  fes- 
tivals the  leading  figure  was  an  old  man,  with  a lot 
of  white  beard  and  white  hair  rimming  his  face. 

In  the  Bacchanalia  the  representative  god  was  not 
the  young  Bacchus,  but  the  aged,  cheery  and  decid- 
edly disreputable  Silenus,  the  chief  of  the  Satyrs  and 
the  god  of  drunkards. 

In  the  Saturnalia  it  was  Saturn,  a dignified  and 
venerable  old  gentleman — the  god  of  Time. 

In  the  Germanic  feasts  it  was  Thor,  a person  of 
patriarchal  aspect,  and  a warrior  to  boot. 

Now,  although  the  central  figure  of  the  Christian 
festival  was  the  child-god — the  Christ-Kindlein — 
none  the  less  the  infiuence  of  long  pagan  antecedents 
was  too  strong  within  the  breast  of  the  newly  Chris- 
tianized world  to  be  readily  dismissed.  The  tradition 
of  hoary  age  as  the  true  representative  of  the  holiday 

69 


70  THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 

period,  a tradition,  it  will  be  seen,  in  which  all  pagan 
nations  agreed,  still  remained  smouldering  under  the 
ashes  of  the  past.  It  burst  into  flame  again  when 
the  past  was  too  far  back  to  be  looked  upon  with  dis- 
like or  disquietude  by  the  Church.  No  longer  did 
there  seem  to  be  any  danger  of  a relapse  into  the 
religious  errors  of  that  past. 

At  first  the  more  dignified  representative  was 
chosen  as  more  in  keeping  with  a solemn  season. 
Saturn  was  preferred  to  Silenus,  and  w’as  almost  un- 
consciously rebaptized  as  Saint  Nicholas,  the  latter 
being  the  greatest  saint  whose  festival  w^as  celebrated 
in  December  and  the  one  who  in  other  respects  w^as 
most  nearly  in  accord  with  the  dim  traditions  of  Sa- 
turn as  the  hero  of  the  Saturnalia. 

If  you  look  at  the  pictures  printed  in  this  book  you 
will  see  that  in  face  and  figure  the  Saint  Nicholas  of 
the  early  painters  was  not  unlike  the  ancient  idea  of 
Saturn. 

And  it  was  many,  many  years  before  Saint  Nich- 
olas had  ousted  the  Christ-child  from  the  first  place 
in  the  Christmas  festivities.  Indeed,  as  w^e  shall  see, 
he  often  accompanied  his  Master  on  His  Christmas 
rounds.  It  may  be  added  that  he  still  does  so  in 
certain  country  places  in  Europe  where  the  modern 
spirit  has  been  least  felt. 

In  course  of  time,  as  the  idea  of  worldly  merri- 
ment at  the  Cliristmas  season  prevailed  over  that  of 


Silenus  and  Fauns. 

Painting  by  Annibale  Cnraoci. 


SILENUS,  SATURN,  THOR 


71 


prayer  and  thanksgiving,  the  name  Saint  Nicholas 
gradually  merged  into  the  affectionate  diminutive  of 
Santa  Klaus.  Under  the  new  name  the  old  saint  lost 
all  his  austerity.  He  became  ruddier,  jollier,  more 
rubicund  in  aspect,  while  the  Christ-Kindlein  faded 
more  and  more  into  the  background,  until  at  last  the 
very  name  of  the  latter,  under  the  slightly  different 
form  of  Kris-Kinkle,  was  transferred  to  his  suc- 
cessor. 

And  now  compare  the  pictures  of  Santa  Klaus 
which  are  scattered  through  this  book  with  that  of 
Silenus.  Is  it  not  evident  that  the  one  is  a revival 
of  the  other,  changed,  indeed,  in  certain  traits  of  char- 
acter, sobered  up,  washed  and  purified,  clad  in  warm 
garments  that  are  more  suited  to  the  wintry  season 
which  he  has  made  his  own,  but  still  the  god  of  good 
fellows, — the  representative  of  good  health,  good  hu- 
mor and  good  cheer? 

Extremes  meet  once  more.  The  most  modern  hero 
of  the  season  of  merriment  is  a return  to  the  most 
ancient.  The  Santa  Klaus  of  to-day  is  the  Silenus 
of  an  unknown  antiquity. 

Let  us  learn  a little  more  about  Silenus.  He  was 
the  tutor  of  Bacchus  and  seems  to  have  had  so  much 
respect  for  his  pupil  that  his  life  after  the  invention 
of  wine  was  one  long  spree.  It  was  a merry  and 
good-natured  spree,  however.  Silenus  never  became 
maudlin  or  quarrelsome  in  his  cups.  He  was  the  most 


72  THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 

jovial  of  tipplers.  His  outlook  upon  life  was  as  rosy 
as  his  nose.  A cheery  laugh  beamed  over  his  large 
fat  face,  the  hght  of  humor  twinkled  in  his  beady 
eyes,  his  rotund  stomach  spoke  of  good  cheer,  his  smile 
beamed  assurance  of  an  unruffled  disposition. 

Among  all  the  brute  creation  he  chose  an  ass,  that 
caricature  of  the  horse,  as  his  favorite  charger.  He 
always  appeared  with  a troupe  of  laughing  fauns  and 
satyrs  around  him,  and  his  advent  was  everywhere  the 
signal  for  quips  and  cranks  and  VTcathed  smiles. 

Now  Saint  Nicholas,  also,  in  former  times  used  to 
ride  abroad  on  an  ass,  and  still  continues  to  do  so  in 
certain  portions  of  Europe.  In  fact,  as  already 
noted,  all  the  genial  traits  of  Silenus,  save  only  that 
of  drunkenness,  are  reproduced  in  Santa  Klaus, — the 
jolly  pagan  who  is  to-daj^  the  personification  of 
Christmas. 

But  though  a modernized  pagan  god  holds  this 
important  position  in  our  festival,  everjdhing  that 
could  be  off  ensive  in  the  old  pagan  way  of  celebrating 
it  has  been  abolished. 

It  was  not  always  so.  The  Church  which  so  visely 
sought  to  retain  the  old  heathen  forms,  found  it  often 
very  hard,  and  sometimes  impossible,  to  subdue  the 
heathen  spirit.  In  spite  of  the  protests  of  priests  and 
the  anathemas  of  popes,  in  spite  of  the  condenmation 
of  all  wise  and  good  men,  Christians  in  the  early  days 
frequently  reproduced  all  the  worst  follies  and  vices 


Santa  Claus  and  his  young  friends. 

From  Thomas  Nast’s  “Christmas  Drawings  for  the  Human  Race.” 
Copyright  1899  hy  Harper  and  Brothers. 


SILENUS,  SATURN,  THOR 


75 


of  the  Bacchanalia  and  the  Saturnalia.  Even  the 
clergy  were  for  a period  whirled  into  the  vortex.  A 
special  celebration,  called  the  Feast  of  Fools,  was 
instituted  in  their  behalf  with  a view,  said  the  doctors 
of  the  Church,  that  “the  folly  which  is  natural  to  and 
born  with  us  might  exhale  at  least  once  a year.”  The 
intention  was  excellent.  But  in  practice  the  liberty 
so  accorded  speedily  degenerated  into  license. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  Church  excesses  were 
so  great  that  a council  of  bishops  held  at  Auxerre 
was  moved  to  inquire  into  the  matter.  Gerson,  the 
most  noted  theologian  of  the  day,  made  an  immense 
sensation  by  declaring  that  “if  all  the  devils  in  hell 
had  put  their  heads  together  to  devise  a feast  that 
should  utterly  scandalize  Christianity,  they  could  not 
have  improved  upon  this  one.” 

If  even  among  the  clergy  heathen  traditions  sur- 
vived so  strenuously,  what  wonder  that  they  survived 
among  the  laity?  The  wild  revels,  indeed,  of  the 
Christmas  period  in  olden  times  almost  stagger  belief. 
No  amount  of  drunkenness,  no  blasphemy,  no  ob- 
scenity was  frowned  upon.  License  was  carried  to 
the  utmost  limits  of  licentiousness.  Even  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  when  the  revels  had  been  slightly 
toned  down.  Master  William  Prynne  discovered  in 
them  those  vestiges  of  paganism  which  are  apparent 
enough  to  the  historian  of  to-day. 

“If  we  compare,”  he  says  in  his  Histrio-Mastia;, 


76 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


“our  Bacchanalian  Christmas  and  New  Year’s  tides 
with  these  Saturnalia  and  feasts  of  Janus,  we  shall 
find  such  near  affinity  between  them,  both  in  regard 
of  time, — they  being  both  in  the  end  of  December 
and  the  first  of  January — and  in  their  manner  of  sol- 
emnizing— both  being  spent  in  revelling,  epicurism, 
wantonness,  idleness,  dancing,  drinking,  stage-plays, 
masques  and  carnal  pomp  and  joUity — that  we  must 
conclude  the  one  to  be  but  the  ape,  or  issue,  of  the 
other.” 

The  very  excesses  of  the  Christmas  period  proved 
their  own  eventual  cure.  In  England  the  Puritans 
revolted  so  bitterly  that  they  for  a period  put  an  end 
to  Christmas  altogether.  In  Europe  the  revolution 
was  more  gradual.  But  everywhere  a change  of  man- 
ners and  of  morals  has  purified  the  festival  over  which 
Santa  Klaus  presides,  and  Santa  Klaus  himself,  even 
if  we  look  upon  him  as  a revival  of  the  pagan  Sdenus, 
is  a Silenus  freed  from  all  the  offensive  features  of 
paganism,  a Silenus  who  with  liis  new  baptismal  name 
has  taken  on  a new  character. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  Santa  Klaus 
does  not  rule  all  over  the  Christian  world.  There  is 
even  a wide  difference  between  our  Santa  Klaus  and 
the  Saint  Nicholas  of  Southern  France  and  Germany. 
The  latter,  grave,  sedate,  severe,  preserves  more  of 
the  Saturn  than  the  Silenus  type.  He  is  Saturn 
christianized  and  dignified  with  episcopal  robes.  He 


Carrying  home  the  Christmas  dinner. 
Drawing  bj'  John  Leech. 


SILENUS,  SATURN,  THOR 


,79 


distributes  gifts  like  our  Santa  Klaus,  but  in  addition 
to  gifts  for  good  little  boys  and  girls,  he  carries  a 
bireh-rod  for  bad  ones.  In  the  more  primitive  sec- 
tions, such  as  certain  parts  of  Lorraine,  the  Tyrol, 
Bohemia  and  so  on,  he  is  attended  by  an  evil  spirit 
called  Ruprecht  who  looks  after  bad  boys  and  girls. 

It  is  also  frequently  the  custom  on  Christmas  Day 
for  a couple  or  more  of  maskers  to  dress  themselves 
up  as  Saint  Nicholas  and  Ruprecht,  and  other 
attendants,  such  as  the  Christ-child  or  St.  Peter  or 
who  not, — these  additional  characters  varying  with 
the  locality.  They  go  from  house  to  house  rewarding 
the  good  children  and  punishing  the  bad. 

More  of  this,  however,  in  a future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  VI 


A TEREIBLE  CHRISTMAS  IN  OLD  FRANCE 

Forever  memorable  as  an  illustration  of  the  man- 
ners of  the  French  court  in  the  fourteenth  century 
stands  a terrible  accident  that  happened  in  Paris  on 
the  Christmas  eve  of  1393.  All  through  the  Christ- 
mas ceremonies  of  the  preceding  week  riot  had  run 
unchecked.  The  wildest  spirits  of  the  French  court 
had  been  given  a free  rein.  One  mad  prank  had  fol- 
lowed another,  until  it  might  seem  that  imagination 
had  been  exhausted  in  the  effort  at  inventing  new 
follies. 

But  this  would  have  been  reckoning  vuthout  Sir 
Hugonin  de  Guisay.  Sir  Hugonin  was  known  as 
the  maddest  of  the  mad.  The  reckless  and  the  un- 
godly loved  and  admired  him  as  much  as  the  sober 
and  the  godly  hated  and  despised  him.  From  his 
height  as  a nobleman  of  the  French  court  he  looked 
down  with  contempt  on  “the  common  people,” — 
tradesmen,  mechanics,  laborers  and  servants.  He 
found  a cruel  pleasure  in  accosting  harmless  folk  of 
this  sort  in  the  public  streets,  pricking  them  Math  his 
spurs,  lashing  them  with  his  whip,  and  ordering  them 

80 


The  Feast  of  the  Passover. 

Painting  by  Biedrich  Bouts. 


la:  TERRIBLE  CHRISTMAS  IN  OLD  FRANCE 


83 


to  creep  on  their  hands  and  feet  in  the  gutters. 

“Bark,  dog,  bark!”  he  would  cry  as  he  cracked  his 
whip  in  the  air. 

To  please  him  the  victims  had  to  bow-wow  and 
growl  like  curs  ere  this  polite  and  pleasant  gentleman 
would  allow  them  to  rise  from  their  degraded  posi- 
tion. 

On  this  particular  Christmas  Eve  Sir  Hugonin 
had  a proposal  to  make.  He  suggested  that,  in  order 
to  continue  the  festivities,  a mock  marriage  should  be 
celebrated  between  a gentleman  and  a lady  of  the 
court.  The  proposal  was  accepted  with  shouts  of 
joy.  A young  couple  were  chosen  to  stand  up  before 
a pretended  priest,  and  to  go  through  the  form  of  the 
wedding  service. 

Just  as  the  ceremony  was  nearing  its  end  Sir 
Hugonin  asked  the  king  and  four  of  his  courtiers, — 
madcaps  all  of  them  and  all  of  them  members  of  the 
proudest  families  in  France, — to  withdraw  with  him 
for  a moment.  He  had  a fresh  proposal  to  make. 
It  happened  that  at  this  time  all  Paris  had  gone  wild 
over  the  dancing  bears  brought  into  the  capital  by 
strolling  performers.  Hugonin’s  plan  was  that  he 
and  the  king,  and  the  four  courtiers,  should  disguise 
themselves  as  dancing  bears.  A pot  of  tar  and  a 
quantity  of  tow  were  ready  at  hand  to  -transform 
them  into  fair  imitations  of  the  bears  in  the  players’ 
booths.  Then  the  five  courtiers  were  to  be  bound 


84 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


together  with  a silk  rope.  The  king  himself  would 
lead  them  into  the  hall. 

“Exeellent!”  cried  the  king  and  all  the  courtiers, 
save  only  Sir  Evan  de  Foix. 

Sir  Evan  seems  to  have  been  the  one  man  of  the 
party  who  had  preserved  a glimmer  of  common  sense. 
He  pointed  out  that  they  were  about  to  rush  into  a 
room  full  of  lights.  Being  all  bound  together,  no 
one  could  say  what  disaster  might  not  befall. 

“Sire,”  he  pleaded,  “it  is  certain  that  if  one  of  us 
catches  fire,  the  whole  number,  ineluding  your  jNIa- 
jesty,  will  be  as  so  many  roast  chestnuts.” 

Then  up  spoke  the  reckless  Sir  Hugonin.  “Who 
is  to  set  us  on  fire?”  he  asked.  “'\Wiere  is  there  the 
traitor  that  would  not  be  careful  when  the  safety  of 
the  king  is  at  stake?” 

Sir  Evan’s  fears  could  not  he  set  at  rest.  But  when 
he  found  that  the  counsels  of  Sir  Hugonin  were 
bound  to  prevail  he  suggested  that  at  least  all  due 
precautions  should  be  taken. 

“Let  His  Majesty  be  prevailed  upon  at  least  to  give 
orders  that  nobody  bearing  a torch  shall  approach 
us.” 

“That  shall  he  done  at  onee,”  said  Charles.  In- 
stantly sending  for  the  chief  officer  in  charge  of  the 
hall  he  gave  instmetions  that  all  the  torch  bearers 
should  be  collected  together  on  one  side  of  the  room, 
and  that  under  no  pretence  should  any  of  them  ap- 


[A.  TERRIBLE  CHRISTMAS  IN  OLD  FRANCE  85 

proach  a party  of  savage  men  who  were  about  to 
enter  and  perform  a dance.  These  orders  having 
been  given  the  dancers  entered. 

They  were  greeted  with  a roar  of  laughter  and 
cheers.  The  mimic  bears  followed  their  leader  around 
the  hall  saluting  the  ladies  as  they  passed  them,  and 
leaping  and  dancing  for  the  amusement  of  the  crowd. 

“Who  are  they?”  cried  the  spectators,  eager  to  pen- 
etrate the  disguise. 

Now  just  at  this  moment  it  unfortunately  hap- 
pened that  the  Duke  of  Orleans  made  his  appearance 
at  the  doors  of  the  hall.  He  knew  nothing  of  what 
had  been  going  on  behind  the  scenes.  He  was  at- 
tended by  six  torchbearers,  who  in  obedience  to  orders, 
should  not  have  been  admitted  into  the  dance-hall. 
But  the  Duke  of  Orleans  was  the  king’s  brother.  It 
was  hard  to  dictate  to  the  first  prince  of  the  blood. 
He  could  scarcely  be  included  in  any  general  order. 
So  he  was  allowed  to  pass  in  with  his  companions. 

“Who  are  they?”  he  exclaimed,  taking  up  the  cry 
that  was  ringing  around  the  haU.  “Well,  we  shall 
soon  find  out.” 

Snatching  a brand  from  one  of  his  torchbearers 
he  peered  into  the  faces  of  the  dancers,  seeking  to 
identify  them.  Coming  at  last  to  Sir  Evan  de  Foix, 
he  shouted  out  his  name,  and  caught  him  by  the  arm. 
Sir  Evan  tried  to  shake  himself  free.  But  the  Duke 
would  not  loosen  his  hold.  Just  then  some  one  j ostled 


86 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


his  elbows  and  the  torch  he  held  in  his  hand  was 
brought  into  sudden  contact  with  the  tarry  tow  that 
did  duty  as  a bearskin.  In  one  moment  Sir  Evan 
M^as  blazing  from  head  to  foot.  In  another  moment 
the  whole  group  of  knights  were  aflame.  Their  fran- 
tic struggles  served  only  to  draw  them  more  closelj’^ 
together  within  the  silken  rope  that  bound  them. 

Luckily  for  the  Idng  he  had  detached  himself  from 
the  group,  having  stopped  on  his  rounds  to  talk  to 
the  Duchess  de  Berri.  When  first  the  alarm  was 
given  he  would  have  rushed  to  help  his  companions, 
but  the  duchess,  guessing  it  was  the  king  under  this 
disguise,  threw  her  arms  around  him  and  forcibly 
detained  him. 

“Sire,”  she  said,  “do  you  not  see  that  your  com- 
panions are  burning  to  death,  and  that  nothing  could 
save  you  if  you  went  near  them  in  that  dress?” 

ISIean while,  one  of  the  maskers  had  wrenched  him- 
self free  from  his  companions.  This  was  the  young 
Lord  of  Nantouillet,  famous  for  strength,  agility 
and  presence  of  mind,  possessed,  moreover,  of  a pow- 
erful jaw  and  a splendid  set  of  teeth.  He  bit  through 
the  silken  rope  that  enmeshed  him,  'UTenched  it  off, 
and  then  rushed  through  the  hall  and  flung  himself, 
like  a blazing  comet,  through  a window  that  opened 
into  the  yard  below.  Luckily  he  had  remembered  that 
underneath  the  window  stood  a cistern  full  of  water. 
Plunging  headlong  into  this  impromptu  bathtub 


The  Adoration  of  the  Lamb. 

Painting  by  Hubert  and  Jan  Van  Eyck- 


A TERRIBLE  CHRISTMAS  IN  OLD  FRANCE  89 


he  emerged,  black,  burnt  and  sizzling,  but  saved. 

As  for  his  companions,  they  were  now  whirling 
hither  and  thither  through  a horrified  mob  of  specta- 
tors, who  trampled  over  each  other  in  their  eagerness 
to  escape  contact  with  the  blaze.  Shrieking,  praying, 
cursing,  the  doomed  four  fought  with  the  flames  and 
with  one  another.  Women  fainted;  men  who  had 
never  faltered  in  the  fiercest  battle  sickened  at  the 
frightful  spectacle.  Eager  as  they  would  have  been 
to  assist  their  friends,  the  men  knew  only  too  well  that 
no  human  arm  could  offer  assistance. 

All  Paris  had  been  aroused  by  the  tumult  and  now 
crowded  around  the  palace  gates.  At  last  the  flames 
burned  out.  The  four  maskers  lay,  a charred  and 
writhing  heap,  upon  the  floor  of  the  dance-hall.  One 
was  a mere  cinder.  Another  survived  until  daybreak. 
Still  another  died  at  noon  the  next  day.  The  fourth 
lived  on  through  three  days  of  agony.  This  was  Sir 
Hugonin  himself. 

Small  pity  did  he  get  from  the  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  of  Paris! 

“Bark,  dog,  bark!”  was  the  cry  with  which  they 
greeted  the  charred  and  mangled  corpse  when  it  was 
borne  through  the  streets  to  its  final  resting  place  in 
the  cemetery. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IX  LEGEND 

We  have  seen  that  most  of  the  ceremonies  that 
have  attended  or  still  attend  the  season  of  Christmas 
may  be  traced  back  to  a period  long  before  the  birth 
of  Christ. 

The  Christmas  tree  is  no  exception  to  this  rule. 
It  is  pagan,  not  Christian  in  its  origin,  though  it  has 
been  adapted  to  Christian  uses.  It  came  down  to  us 
from  the  pagan  Teutons  and  Scandinavians,  and  on 
the  way  it  was  Christianized  in  Germany  and  Hol- 
land, in  Sweden,  Norway  and  Denmark,  long  before 
it  had  been  made  holy  in  the  same  mamier  among 
the  English-speaking  peoples. 

JMyth  and  history  have  both  busied  themselves  with 
guesses  at  its  origin.  Let  us  begin  ^vith  nndh. 

A very  old  legend  makes  Saint  Winfred  the  in- 
ventor of  the  Christmas  tree.  Winfred  (please  note 
that  this  is  the  masculine  form  of  which  Winifred 
is  the  feminine)  was  one  of  the  early  missionaries  to 
Norway  who  helped  to  wean  the  ancient  Scandina- 
vians from  their  pagan  beliefs  and  practices. 

90 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  LEGEND 


91 


He  found  that  their  priests,  the  Druids,  had  taught 
them  to  worship  trees  as  if  they  were  living  gods. 
So  he  set  himself  the  task  of  showing  to  his  Christian 
converts  that  the  objects  of  their  former  worship  were 
not  gods  but  trees, — trees  and  nothing  more.  On 
Christmas  eve,  therefore,  he  hewed  down  a mighty 
oak  in  presence  of  a great  crowd  of  men,  women  and 
children. 

A miracle  indeed  followed.  But  it  was  a Chris- 
tian miracle,  and  as  such  was  all  the  more  convincing 
to  these  simple  people  that  their  old-time  faiths  had 
been  misplaced. 

This  is  how  the  miracle  is  described  by  an  ancient 
historian : 

“As  the  bright  blade  circled  around  Winfred’s 
head,  and  the  flakes  of  wood  flew  from  the  deepening 
gash  in  the  body  of  the  tree,  a whirling  wind  passed 
over  the  forest.  It  gripped  the  oak  from  its  foun- 
dations. Backward  it  fell  like  a tower,  groaning  as 
it  split  asunder  in  four  pieces.  But  just  behind  it 
and  unharmed  by  the  ruin,  stood  a young  flr  tree 
pointing  a green  spire  towards  the  stars. 

“Winfred  let  the  axe  drop  and  turned  to  speak  to 
the  people. 

“ ‘This  little  tree,  a young  child  of  the  forest,  shall 
be  your  holy  tree  to-night.  It  is  the  wood  of  peace, 
for  your  houses  are  built  of  the  fir.  It  is  a sign  of 


92 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


endless  life,  for  its  leaves  are  ever  green.  See  how 
it  points  upward  to  heaven.  Let  this  be  called  the 
tree  of  the  Christ-child;  gather  about  it,  not  in  the 
wildwood,  but  in  your  own  homes ; there  it  will  shelter 
no  deeds  of  blood,  but  loving  gifts  and  rites  of  kind- 
ness.’ ” 

There  is  another  old  legend  that  is  told  by  the 
people  around  Strassburg,  a famous  old  city  on  the 
Rhine.  Half  way  between  this  city  and  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Drusenlieim  there  are  still  to  be  seen 
the  ruins  of  an  old  castle.  It  probably  dates  back 
to  the  seventh  century.  Its  chief  feature  is  a massive 
gate.  Deep  sunk  in  the  stone  arch  above  this  gate, 
and  as  clearly  and  sharply  defined  as  if  it  had  been 
carved  only  yesterday,  is  the  impress  of  a small  and 
delicate  hand.  And  this  is  the  story  that  is  told  to 
account  for  the  presence  of  the  hand. 

One  of  the  early  lords  of  the  castle  was  Count  Otto 
von  Gorgas,  a handsome  and  dashing  youth,  whose 
great  dehght  was  hunting  big  game.  So  devoted, 
indeed,  was  he  to  the  shooting  of  deer  and  the  spear- 
ing of  wild  boars  that  love  could  find  no  entrance 
into  his  heart.  In  vain  did  the  fairest  maidens  in 
the  land  sigh  for  a soft  speech  or  a tender  glance 
from  this  wild  huntsman.  IM others  on  both  banks  of 
the  river  Rhine  had  abandoned  in  despair  all  hope  of 
securing  him  as  a match  for  their  daughters,  while 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  LEGEND 


93 


the  daughters  themselves  had  spitefully  given  him 
the  name  of  Stony-heart,  by  which  he  had  become 
generally  known  throughout  the  country  side. 

But  Count  Otto  only  laughed  at  the  anger  of  the 
ladies,  and  continued  to  kill  with  his  own  hand  such 
large  quantities  of  game  that  new  servants  would  not 
come  into  his  employ,  unless  he  had  first  agreed  to 
give  them  venison  or  wild  boar  steaks  not  oftener 
than  four  days  in  the  week. 

One  Christmas  Eve  Count  Otto  ordered  that  a bat- 
tue or  monster  hunt  should  take  place  in  the  forest 
surrounding  his  castle.  So  exciting  was  the  sport 
that  he  was  led  deep  into  the  thickets  and  at  night-fall 
found  himself  separated  from  all  his  friends  and  fol- 
lowers. He  reined  up  beside  a far-away  spring,  clear 
and  deep,  known  to  the  country  people  as  the  F airy’s 
Well.  His  hands  being  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  wild  animals  he  had  slain,  he  dismounted  from  his 
horse  to  wash  them  in  the  spring. 

Though  the  weather  was  cold  and  a white  frost 
covered  the  dead  leaves.  Count  Otto  found  to  his 
surprise  that  the  water  of  the  well  was  warm  and 
pleasant.  A delightful  feeling  ran  through  his  veins. 
Plunging  his  arms  deeper  into  the  well,  he  fancied  that 
he  felt  his  right  hand  grasped  by  another  hand  softer 
and  smaller  than  his  own,  which  gently  drew  from  his 
finger  a gold  ring  that  he  was  accustomed  to  wear. 


94 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Sure  enough,  when  he  pulled  his  hand  out  of  the 
water  the  ring  was  gone! 

Though  annoyed  by  his  loss,  the  count  decided  that 
the  ring  had  accidentally  slipped  from  his  finger. 
There  was  no  opportunity  for  any  further  search  that 
day,  for  the  well  was  very  deep  and  the  sun  had 
already  set. 

So  Otto  remounted  his  horse  and  rode  back  to  the 
castle,  resolving  that  in  the  morning  he  would  have 
the  Fairy’s  Well  emptied  out  bj’’  his  ser\'ants.  Little 
doubt  had  he  but  that  the  ring  would  easily  be  found 
at  the  bottom. 

As  a rule  Count  Otto  was  a good  sleeper.  That 
night,  however,  he  tried  in  vain  to  close  his  eyes.  Ly- 
ing restlessly  awake  he  listened  feverishly  to  the  hoarse 
baying  of  the  watch-dog  in  the  court-yard  until  near 
midnight.  Suddenly  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbows. 
What  was  that  unusual  noise  he  heard  outside  ? 

He  strained  his  ears.  Distinctly  he  again  heard  ' 
the  creaking  of  the  drawbridge  as  it  was  being  low- 
ered. A few  minutes  later  there  followed  sounds 
as  of  the  pattering  of  many  feet  up  the  stone  stairs  i 
and  into  the  chamber  next  to  his  owm.  Then  a vdld  ! 
strain  of  music  came  floating  on  the  air,  shooting  a < 
sweet  mysterious  thriU  even  into  his  “stony”  heart.  I 

Rising  softly  from  his  bed,  Otto  hastily  dressed 
himself.  A little  bell  sounded.  His  chamber  door 
was  suddenly  flung  open.  He  accepted  what  seemed 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  LEGEND 


95 


Kke  a wordless  invitation.  Crossing  the  threshold 
into  the  next  room,  he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of 
an  assemblage  of  rather  small  but  very  lovely  looking 
strangers  of  both  sexes,  who  laughed,  chatted,  danced 
and  sang  without  seeming  in  the  least  to  notice  him. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room  stood  a splendid  Christ- 
mas tree  from  which  a great  number  of  many-col- 
ored lamps  shed  a flood  of  light  throughout  the  apart- 
ment. 

Now  this  was  the  first  Christmas  tree  that  had  ever 
been  seen  in  those  parts,  or  indeed  by  any  mortal 
folk  in  any  portion  of  the  world.  And  it  was  a 
Christmas  tree  of  a sort  that  never  again  has  been 
seen  by  any  mortal  folk  in  any  portion  of  the 
world. 

For  surely  never  again  has  a Christmas  tree  borne 
such  fruits.  Instead  of  toys  and  candies  the  branches 
were  hung  with  diamond  stars  and  crosses,  pearl  neck- 
laces, aigrettes  of  rubies  and  sapphires,  baldricks  em- 
broidered with  Oriental  pearls,  and  daggers  mounted 
in  gold  and  studded  with  the  rarest  gems. 

Lost  in  wonder  at  a scene  he  could  not  understand, 
the  count  gazed  without  the  power  of  uttering  a 
single  word.  There  was  a sudden  movement  at  the 
end  of  the  hall.  The  company  stopped  dancing  and 
fell  back  to  make  way  for  a newcomer.  Then  in  the 
bright  rays  of  the  Christmas  lights,  a dazzling  vision 
stood  in  front  of  Count  Otto. 


96 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


It  was  a princess  of  astonishing  beauty.  Though 
only  a girl  in  size,  she  was  a woman  in  age.  Though 
small,  her  body  was  exquisitely  formed.  There  she 
stood,  magnificently  dressed  as  for  a ball.  A diadem 
sparkled  amid  her  raven  black  locks,  rich  point  lace 
only  half  veiled  her  snowy  bosom,  and  her  dress  of 
rose-colored  silk  sat  close  to  her  slender  figure,  falhng 
in  folds  just  so  low  as  to  reveal  the  neatest  feet  and 
ankles  in  the  world,  while  her  sleeves  were  short 
enough  to  display  beautiful  arms  of  dazzling  white- 
ness. 

The  charming  stranger  showed  no  awkward  timid- 
ity. On  the  contrary,  after  a short  pause  she  walked 
straight  up  to  the  count,  caught  him  by  both  hands, 
and  said,  in  the  sweetest  of  voices: 

“Dear  Otto,  I am  come  to  return  your  call.” 

At  the  same  time  she  raised  her  right  hand  to  his 
lips.  Forgetting  all  his  old  coldness  towards  the 
female  sex  he  gallantly  kissed  it  without  making  any 
other  reply.  Indeed,  he  felt  fascinated,  spellbound. 
He  gladly  let  the  beautiful  stranger  draw  him  to  a 
couch  where  she  sat  herself  down  besides  him.  Her 
lips  met  his  and  before  he  could  think  about  kissing 
them,  he  had  done  so. 

“My  dear  friend,”  whispered  the  lady  into  his  ear, 
“I  am  the  faiiy  Ernestine.  I have  brought  you  a 
Christmas  present.  That  Avhich  you  lost  and  hardly 
hoped  to  find  again,  see!  I fetch  it  hack  to  you.” 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  LEGEND 


97 


And,  drawing  from  her  bosom  a little  casket  set 
with  diamonds,  she  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  count. 
He  eagerly  opened  it.  Not  entirely  unexpectedly 
(for  had  not  her  words  forewarned  him?)  he  found 
within  it  the  ring  that  he  had  lost  in  the  forest  well. 

Carried  away  by  a feeling  as  strange  as  it  was  ir- 
resistible, Count  Otto  pressed  the  casket  and  then  the 
lovely  Ernestine  to  his  breast. 

“Delightful,”  murmured  the  maiden,  who  as  you 
may  see,  was  not  so  coy  as  are  many  maidens  of  the 
everyday  world. 

In  brief  the  two  had  fallen  in  love  with  each  other 
at  first  sight.  Before  they  parted  for  the  night,  Otto 
had  won  the  fairy’s  consent  to  become  his  wife. 

One  thing  only  she  demanded  of  him.  He  must 
never  make  use  of  the  word  “death”  in  her  presence. 
F airies  are  immortal ; she  did  not  wish  to  be  reminded 
that  she  was  bound  to  a mortal  husband. 

It  was  easy  enough  for  him  to  make  this  promise, 
and  no  doubt  he  thought  it  would  be  easy  to  keep  it. 
Next  day  Count  Otto  von  Gorgas  and  Ernestine, 
the  Queen  of  the  Fairies,  were  married  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremony.  They  lived  happily  together 
for  some  years  in  the  grand  old  castle. 

One  day  it  chanced  that  the  young  couple  were  to 
assist  at  a great  tourney  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
Lady  Ernestine’s  horse  stood  in  waiting  for  her  at  the 
castle  gate.  Being  greatly  occupied  in  adjusting  a 


98 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


new  headdress  which  her  milliner  had  just  brought 
home,  she  kept  her  husband  waiting  until  his  patience 
was  worn  out. 

“Fair  dame,”  he  pettishly  exclaimed  when  she  at 
last  appeared  in  the  great  hall  where  for  half  an  hour 
he  had  been  striding  up  and  do^vn  in  his  uncomfort- 
able armor,  “you  are  so  long  making  ready,  you  would 
be  a good  messenger  to  send  for  Death.” 

Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  fatal  word  than  with  a 
wild  scream  the  lady  disappeared.  She  left  no  trace 
behind  her,  except  the  print  of  her  little  hand  above 
the  castle  gate.  Every  Christmas  eve,  however,  she 
returns  and  flits  about  the  ruins  with  loud  lamenta- 
tions, crying  at  intervals: 

“Death!  Death!  Death!” 

As  to  Count  Otto  he  went  the  way  of  all  flesh  and 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers  not  long  after  he  had  lost 
his  spouse.  But  every  Christmas  Eve,  while  his  life 
lasted,  he  would  set  up  a lighted  tree  in  the  hall  where 
he  had  first  met  the  lady  Ernestine, — in  the  vain  hope 
of  wooing  her  back  to  his  arms.  And  this,  it  is  said 
in  Strasburg  and  its  neighborhood,  was  the  origin  of 
the  Christmas  tree.* 

* London  Illustrated  News,  December  25,  1858.  Schulzer:  Legends  of 
the  Rhine. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  HST  HISTORY 

The  stories  I have  just  told  you  are  pretty  enough 
and  may  amuse  an  idle  half  hour.  But  we  must  now 
pass  from  the  region  of  myth  into  that  of  history  and 
science. 

My  sexagenarian  readers  will  not  need  to  be  in- 
troduced to  the  science  called  comparative  mythologj^-. 
But  for  the  sake  of  the  six  year  olds  it  may  be  well  to 
explain,  as  simply  as  I can  in  a few  words,  that  com- 
parative mythology  is  a branch  of  human  knowledge 
which  compares  the  myths  and  legends  of  one  age 
and  one  people  with  the  myths  and  legends  of  another 
age  and  another  people,  the  object  being  to  show  how 
the  later  myths  descend  from  the  earlier  ones,  or  how 
all  the  myths  go  hack  to  some  parent  germ  in  the 
far-a-way  past. 

By  the  aid,  then,  of  the  science  of  comparative 
mythology  let  us  seek  to  study  the  historical  growth 
of  the  idea  that  is  now  embodied  in  the  Christmas 
tree.  Here,  indeed,  we  are  in  a whirl  of  problems. 
Comparative  mythology  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing and  also  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  sciences.  In 

99 


100 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


the  present  case  it  must  take  account  of  the  fact  that 
we  English  speaking  peoples  of  the  present  day,  and 
especially  we  Americans,  are  a hodge-podge  mixture 
of  many  races  and  many  religions.  Somewhere  in 
our  brains  we  preserve  dim  memories  of  a thousand 
conflicting  myths  of  the  past  which  without  knowing 
it  we  have  inherited  from  our  ancestors.  In  other 
parts  of  our  brain  we  retain  the  facts  and  Actions 
which  have  been  told  to  us  by  our  elders,  or  which 
we  have  learned  from  books. 

Now  in  all  times  and  in  all  countries  we  And  records  ! 
of  the  worship,  at  some  former  period,  of  a tree  as 
a divinity, — in  other  words  as  a god. 

Greatest  and  most  famous  of  all  these  sacred  trees 
was  a quite  imaginary  one  which  the  Scandinavians 
called  the  ash-tree  Yggdrasil.  Nobody  had  ever  seen 
it,  but  everybody  among  these  imaginative  people  be- 
lieved in  its  existence. 

It  was  supposed  to  be  a tree  so  big  that  you  could 
not  possibly  picture  it  to  your  fancy,  which  encom- 
passed the  entire  universe  of  sun  and  moon  and  stars 
and  earth.  And  it  had  three  roots,  one  in  heaven,  one 
in  hell  and  one  on  earth. 

The  serpent  who  gnaws  the  roots  of  Yggdrasil 
was  of  course  a heathen  idea.  Yet  you  cannot  help 
seeing  in  him  some  likeness  to  the  serpent  of  Genesis 
who  is  held  to  be  a symbol  of  Satan,  or  the  devil. 
Like  Satan  he  seeks  the  destruction  of  the  universe. 


Luther  and  the  Christmas  tree. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  HISTORY  103 


When  the  roots  of  Yggdrasil  are  eaten  through  the 
tree  will  fall  over  and  the  end  of  all  things  will  have 
arrived. 

Now  among  the  Anglo-Saxons  or  early  inhabitants 
of  England,  who  were  in  part  descended  from  the 
Scandinavians,  Yggdrasil  survived  in  the  Yule  log, 
which  they  used  to  burn  on  Christmas  Eve,  as  it  is 
still  burned  in  many  an  English  home  to-day. 

And  this  is  how  the  pagan  tree  was  transformed 
into  the  Christian  Yule  log: — 

The  missionaries  to  the  Anglo-Saxons  denounced 
the  Yggdrasil  superstition.  They  made  their  con- 
verts hack  to  pieces  all  carved  figures  representing 
the  idolatrous  symbol,  and  then  cast  the  pieces  into 
the  flames  as  a token  that  the  Christ-child  had  de- 
stroyed heathenism. 

Among  the  Germans  and  the  Norsemen,  however, 
the  sanctity  of  the  Yggdrasil  myth  could  not  be  de- 
stroyed. It  had  to  be  transformed,  and  transferred 
to  Christian  uses  by  identifying  it  with  some  Chris- 
tian or  Jewish  symbol  like  the  tree  of  life  in  Genesis 
or  the  cross  of  Christ  in  the  New  Testament. 

Compare  the  great  tree  Yggdrasil  and  its  three 
roots  with  the  description  which  a certain  writer  of 
the  early  middle  ages,  called  Alcima,  gives  of  the 
Tree  of  Life. 

“It’s  position,”  says  Alcima,  “is  such  that  the  upper 


104 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


portion  touches  the  earth,  the  root  reaches  to  hell, 
and  the  branches  extend  to  all  parts  of  the  earth.” 

Evidently  Alcima  had  been  influenced  by  Scandi- 
navian legend  as  well  as  by  biblical  lore.  Of  course 
you  will  understand  that  he  was  speaking  not  of  the 
actual  cross,  but  of  the  cross  as  a symbol  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

Let  us  extend  our  researches  a little  further  into 
the  region  of  comparative  mytholog}^ 

You  will  find  Adam  and  Eve  commemorated  in 
old  calendars  under  date  of  December  24th.  This 
is  the  eve  of  Christmas.  The  symbol  of  our  first  par- 
ents is  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 
Christmas  itself  is  the  day  of  Christ,  whose  symbol 
is  the  tree  of  life  or  the  cross.  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
when  the  minds  of  men  were  escaping  from  paganism 
into  Christianity  the  tree  of  the  old  mythology  grew 
to  be  associated  with  the  birthday  of  Christ  and  thus 
with  the  cross.  So  the  lights  of  the  Chanuckah  Fes- 
tival of  the  Hebrews  were  borrowed  to  adorn  the 
sacred  tree,  and  the  seven-branched  candlestick,  as 
a figure  of  that  tree,  was  even  introduced  into  the 


painters  and  especially  the  painters  of  Italy — of  the 
serpent  squatting  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  had  of  course 
its  Christian  meaning,  but  its  adoption  into  Cliristian 


common  among  the  earlv 

O * 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  HISTORY  105 


art  was  in  great  degree  influenced  by  the  fact  that 
the  cross  had  become  popularly  identified  with  the 
serpent  tree  of  the  old  pagan  myth^/" 

Scandinavia  was  not  the  only  place  that  had  its 
sacred  tree.  Egypt,  for  instance,  had  one  in  the  palm, 
which  puts  forth  a shoot  every  month.  A spray  of 
this  tree  with  twelve  shoots  on  it  was  used  in  ancient 
Egypt  at  the  time  of  the  winter  solstice  as  a symbol 
of  the  twelvemonth  or  completed  year. 

From  Egypt  the  custom  reached  Rome,  where 
it  was  added  to  the  other  ceremonies  of  the  Saturnalia. 
But  as  palm  trees  do  not  grow  in  Italy  other  trees 
were  used  in  its  stead.  A small  fir  tree,  or  the  crest 
of  a large  one  was  found  to  be  the  most  suitable, 
because  it  is  shaped  like  a cone  or  a pyramid.  This 
was  decorated  with  twelve  burning  tapers  lit  in  honor 
of  the  god  of  Time.  At  the  very  tip  of  the  pyramid 
blazed  the  representation  of  a radiant  sun  placed  there 
in  honor  of  Apollo,  the  sun-god,  to  whom  the  three 
last  days  of  December  were  dedicated.  These  days 
were  called  the  sigillaria,  or  seal-days,  because  pres- 
ents were  then  made  of  impressions  stamped  on  wax. 

In  further  honor  of  Apollo,  who  was  a shepherd 
in  his  youth,  images  of  sheep  were  shown  pasturing 
under  the  tree.  Apollo  himself  sometimes  took 
charge  of  the  herd,  or  taught  the  shepherds  the  use 
of  the  musical  pipe.  All  these  customs  were  skilfully 
adapted  by  the  priests  of  the  early  Church  to  Chris- 


106 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


tian  uses.  Shepherd  and  sheep  were  retained  as 
symbols  of  Christ  and  his  flock.  As  you  know,  our 
Lord  is  frequently  alluded  to  as  the  good  shepherd 
and  is  so  represented  in  religious  paintings.  The 
sigillaria  of  the  old  Romans  were  also  turned  to  a 
new  use,  the  wax  being  now  stamped  with  figures  of 
saints  and  other  holy  persons/ 

A few  pages  back  you  wer6  told  that  the  day  before 
Christmas  is  the  day  which  our  pious  forefathers 
dedicated  to  Adam  and  Eve.  Hence,  you  vill  re- 
member, figures  of  our  first  parents  appeared  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  while  a serpent  entwined  itself 
around  the  roots  or  the  trunk.  This  was  the  serpent 
of  the  Old  Testament,  but  I have  already  explained 
how  it  was  also  a Christian  adaptation  of  the  serpent 
of  the  great  ash-tree  Yggdrasil. 

I may  add,  right  here,  that  the  serpent  still  makes 
its  appearance  at  the  base  of  a Christmas  tree  in  many 
parts  of  rural  Germany  where  old  customs  still  sur- 
vive in  their  original  purity. 

/And  now  by  grouping  all  these  facts  together  we 
find  that  long  before  the  coming  of  Christ  there  was 
scattered  all  over  the  world  an  idea  that  an  illuminated 
tree  was  a symbol  of  holiness.  Therefore  it  was  only 
natural  that  it  came  at  last  to  be  associated  vdth  the 
birthday  of  Christ  and  with  the  period  of  the  winter 
solstice  which  the  followers  of  Christ  had  rescued 
from  pagan  practices  and  pagan  superstitions  and 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  HISTORY  107 

adapted  to  the  religion  which  He  had  founded. 

This  association  was  made  all  the  more  natural 
because  the  candles  that  twinkle  on  the  Christmas  tree 
were  anticipated  in  the  candles  lit  by  the  Jews  on  their 
Chanuckah  or  Feast  of  Lights.  Chanuckah  is  still 
celebrated  among  them  with  all  the  old  forms.  It 
falls  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  Kislev,  or  ninth  month 
of  the  Jewish  calendar,  which  roughly  corresponds 
with  our  December  or  twelfth  month. 

On  that  day,  in  the  year  165  before  Christ,  the  tem- 
ple in  Jerusalem,  which  had  been  desecrated  by  a 
Roman  army  under  Antiochus,  had  been  purified  and 
rededicated  by  Judas  Maccabeus.  Antiochus  had 
put  out  the  lights  of  the  seven-branched  candelabra 
that  had  been  kept  burning  ever  since  the  temple  had 
been  finished.  A jar  of  sacred  oil,  sealed  with  the 
ring  of  the  High  Priest,  was  discovered  untouched. 
There  seemed  to  be  only  enough  for  one  day  but 
when  it  was  poured  into  the  lamp  it  lasted  for  a 
full  week.  This  miracle  happened  just  in  the  nick  of 
time,  for  it  would  have  taken  seven  days  to  obtain 
a fresh  supply  of  oil.  It  was  then  decreed  that  the 
week  beginning  with  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  Kislev 
should  be  celebrated  as  a festival  forever. 

Accordingly  on  that  day  in  every  year  the  Jews 
light  a candle  in  every  home,  on  the  next  day,  two, 
and  so  on,  until  the  seventh  and  last  day  of  the  feast 
when  seven  candles  twinkle  in  every  home. 


108 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Now  if  Christ  was  born  on  the  twenty-fifth  day 
of  December  he  probably  came  into  the  world  at  a 
time  when  every  house  in  Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem 
was  ablaze  with  lights. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  added  that  one  of  the 
German  names  for  Christmas  is  Weinacht  or  Night 
of  Dedication,  as  though  it  were  somehow  associated 
in  the  popular  mind  with  the  Jewish  Chanuckah. 
Another  curious  fact  which  bears  out  the  same  theory 
is  that  the  Catholics  of  the  Greek  Church  call  Christ- 
mas the  Feast  of  Lights. 

With  another  Jewish  festival  Christmas  has  a ver- 
bal link.  This  is  the  feast  of  the  Passover  when  a 
lamb  is  killed  and  eaten.  Christ  is  often  sjunbol- 
ized  as  a lamb.  Saint  John  the  Baptist,  you  remem- 
ber, greeted  him  as  “the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world.” 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  EUROPE 

We  have  now  considered  the  far-off  origins  of 
the  Christmas  tree.  We  have  decided  that  it  is  an 
adaptation  of  the  Yggdrasil  and  other  sacred  trees 
of  the  pagan  past  to  Christian  and  modern  uses.  N ot 
yet,  however,  have  we  bridged  the  chasm  that  divides 
the  history  of  the  old  tree  from  that  of  the  new 
one. 

How,  where  and  by  whom  was  the  Christmas  tree, 
as  we  now  know  it,  brought  into  the  Christmas  festiv- 
ities and  associated  with  the  Christ-child  and  Saint 
Nicholas?  I am  sorry  to  say  that  it  is  impossible  to 
gi^^  positive  answers  to  any  of  these  questions. 
/Yhere  is,  indeed,  a very  popular  German  tradition 
which  makes  Martin  Luther  the  inventor  of  the  mod- 
ern Christmas  tree.  One  bright  Christmas  eve,  it  is 
said,  as  Luther  was  journeying  home  through  a snow- 
covered  country,  he  was  more  than  ever  struck  by  the 
wondrous  spectacle  of  the  star-lit  sky  above  him. 

It  is  a very  common  saying,  one  which  dates  back 
to  an  old  Greek  philosopher  hut  which  has  been  re- 
peated by  many  other  wise  men  of  modern  times, 

109 


110 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


that  if  a grown  person  who  had  all  his  life  gone  to 
bed  with  the  setting  sun  and  got  up  with  the  rising 
one,  and  who,  therefore,  had  never  seen  the  moon  or 
the  stars,  were  suddenly  to  be  awakened  at  midnight, 
he  would  be  overwhelmed  by  the  glorious  mystery 
of  the  spectacle  overhead.  We  who  are  accustomed 
to  the  sight  from  our  cradles  can  hardly  realize  the 
shock  of  such  a surprise.  Because  we  have  seen 
the  moon  and  stars  ever  since  we  could  remember 
we  forget  how  wonderful  they  are,  and  how  beautiful 
is  the  scene  they  present.  We  take  them  as  a matter 
of  course. 

Now  Martin  Luther  was  a poet  as  well  as  a 
preacher.  One  great  difference  between  a poet  and 
an  ordinary  person  of  slower  imagination  is  that  he 
adds  to  the  wisdom  of  manhood  the  freshness  and 
simplicity  of  childhood.  He  retains  the  young  heart 
with  the  mature  brain.  As  Carlyle,  a great  modern 
writer,  has  said,  he  sees  the  world  “rimmed  around 
with  wonder.”  Carlyle  being,  like  INIartin  Luther,  a 
poet,  even  though  he  rarely  put  his  thoughts  into 
verse  and  rhyme,  never  lost  the  sense  of  wonder  and 
awe  towards  the  manifestations  of  God  in  the  uni- 
verse. 

God  is  everywhere,  though  we  poor,  purblind 
folk  only  now  and  then  catch  glimpses  of  Him.  If 
we  could  clear  away  the  mists  that  have  gathered 
round  our  eyes  during  our  progress  tlirough  the  world 


Christmas  tree  of  the  English  royal  family. 

From  the  “Illustrated  London  News,"  December,  1842. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  EUROPE 


113 


we  would  know  that  He  is  everywhere.  It  is  the 
poet  who  keeps  his  eyes  clearest  for  the  Blessed 
V^on. 

{ Luther  arrived  at  home,  so  the  story  continues, 
with  brain  and  heart  full  of  the  feelings  and  the 
thoughts  that  had  been  inspired  in  him  by  the  firma- 
ment of  shining  stars.  He  tried  to  explain  to  his 
wife  and  children  just  what  those  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings were.  Suddenly  an  idea  struck  him.  Going 
into  the  garden  he  cut  off  a little  fir  tree,  dragged 
it  into  the  nursery,  put  some  candles  into  its  branches 
and  lighted  them.  Ever  after  that,  we  are  told, 
Luther  fixed  up  a Christmas  tree  in  his  home  for 
the  instruction  and  entertainment  of  his  wife  and 
children.  The  custom  was  imitated  by  his  neighbors 
and  finally  spread  all  over  Germany. 

This  is  a very  pretty  legend,  but  it  is  legend  and 
not  history.  It  deserves  no  more  credit  than  the  story 
of  St.  Winfred  ^ which  I have  quoted  from  Ger- 
man folklorey^r  the  fairy  tale  which,  as  I have  said, 
still  lingers  among  the  people  in  and  around  Stras- 
burgh. 

All  that  we  know  from  real  history  is  that  a tree 
with  lighted  candles  was  now  and  then  used  in  the 
middle  ages,  and  later,  in  connection  with  the  Christ- 
mas rejoicings. 

Such  a tree  is  known  to  have  played  its  part  in  a 
Christmas  pageant  given  at  the  court  of  Henry  VIII. 


114 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


in  England.  The  tree  is  described  at  some  length  in 
the  chronicles  of  the  time,  but  it  is  evident  from  these 
descriptions  that  it  lacked  the  chief  feature  of  the 
modern  one.  It  was  not  a bearer  of  presents. 

/'So  far  as  it  is  possible  to  gather  from  history,  the 
Christmas  tree,  as  we  know  it  to-day,  made  its  first 
appearance  in  Strassburgh.  This  is  interesting  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  one  of  the  earhest  legends  in 
explanation  of  the  custom  finds  its  home  in  that  city. 
More  authentic  witness  is  afforded  by  an  old  manu- 
script still  preserved  in  a library  at  Friedburg,  Ger- 
many, which  was  written  by  a citizen  of  Strassburgh 
in  the  year  1608.  This  manuscript  speaks  of  a tree 
all  alight  with  candles  and  bedecked  with  presents  as 
being  a regular  feature  of  the  Christmas  festivities 
of  that  time.  Therefore  we  are  sure  that  the  Christ- 
mas tree  had  come  into  common  use  in  this  region 
by  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Fur- 
ther than  that  there  is  no  certainty. 

The  custom  appears  to  have  spread  from  Strass- 
burgh to  the  neighboring  cities  along  the  Rhine  and 
to  have  flourished  in  that  limited  district  for  fully 
two  hundred  years. 

Suddenly,  about  the  begimiing  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  it  made  its  appearance  outside  of  the  Rhen- 
ish towns  in  other  nearby  localities,  until  finally  it  had 
invaded  the  whole  of  Germany.  Fifty  years  later 
it  had  conquered  nearly  all  Christendom. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  EUROPE 


115 


In  the  year  1825  the  English  poet,  Samuel  Taylor 
Coleridge,  visited  Germany  to  spend  the  winter 
months  in  that  country.  One  of  his  letters  written  in 
the  following  January  speaks  of  the  Christmas  tree 
as  something  entirely  unknown  to  his  fellow  country- 
men. 

“There  is  a Christmas  custom  here,”  he  says, 
“which  pleased  and  interested  me.  The  children 
make  httle  presents  to  their  parents  and  to  each  other 
and  the  parents  to  their  children.  For  three  or  four 
months  before  Christmas  the  girls  are  all  busy  and 
the  boys  save  up  their  pocket  money  to  buy  these 
presents.  What  the  present  is  to  be  is  cautiously 
kept  secret;  and  the  girls  have  a world  of  contrivances 
to  conceal  it — such  as  working  when  they  are  out  on 
visits,  and  the  others  are  not  with  them;  getting  up 
in  the  morning  before  dayhght  and  so  forth.  Then, 
on  the  evening  before  Christmas  day,  one  of  the 
parlors  is  lighted  up  by  the  children,  into  which  the 
parents  must  not  go;  a great  yew-bough  is  fastened 
on  the  table  at  a little  distance  from  the  wall,  a multi- 
tude of  little  tapers  are  fixed  in  the  bough,  but  not 
so  as  to  burn  it  till  they  are  nearly  consumed,  and 
colored  paper,  etc.,  hangs  and  fiutters  from  the  twigs. 

“Under  this  bough  the  children  lay  out,  in  great 
order,  the  presents  they  mean  for  their  parents,  stilt 
concealing  in  their  pockets  what  they  intend  for  each 
other.  Then  the  parents  are  introduced  and  each 


116 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


presents  his  little  gift;  they  then  bring  out  the  re- 
mainder, one  by  one,  from  their  pockets,  and  present 
them  with  kisses  and  embraces.  Where  I witnessed 
this  scene,  there  were  eight  or  nine  children,  and  the 
oldest  daughter  and  the  mother  wept  aloud  for  joy 
and  tenderness;  and  the  tears  ran  down  the  face  of 
the  father,  and  he  clasped  all  his  children  so  tight 
to  his  breast,  it  seemed  as  if  he  did  it  to  stifle  the 
sob  that  was  rising  within  it.  I was  very  much 
affected.  The  shadow  of  the  bough  and  its  append- 
ages on  the  wall,  and  arching  over  on  the  ceiling,  made 
a pretty  picture ; and  then  the  raptures  of  the  very  lit- 
tle ones,  when  at  last  the  twigs  and  their  needles  be- 
gan to  take  fire  and  snap — O!  it  was  a dehght  to 
them! 

“On  the  next  day  (Christmas  day)  in  the  great 
parlor,  the  parents  lay  out  on  the  table  the  presents 
for  the  children;  a scene  of  more  sober  joy  succeeds; 
as  on  this  day,  after  an  old  custom,  the  mother  says 
privately  to  each  of  her  daughters  and  the  father  to 
his  sons,  that  which  he  has  obseiwed  most  praise- 
worthy and  that  which  was  most  faulty  in  their  con- 
duct.” 

Continuing,  Coleridge  tells  us  that  formerly,  and 
still  in  all  the  smaller  toAvns  and  villages  throughout 
North  Germany,  these  presents  were  sent  by  all  the 
parents  to  some  young  fellows,  who,  in  high  buskins, 
a white  robe,  a mask,  and  an  enormous  flax  wig  per- 


iTHE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  EUROPE  117 

senates  Knecht  Ruprecht,  i.  e.  the  servant  Rupert. 

“On  Christmas  night  he  goes  round  to  every  house, 
and  says  that  Jesus  Christ,  his  Master,  sent  him 
thither.  The  parents  and  elder  children  receive  him 
with  great  pomp  and  reverence,  while  the  little  ones 
are  most  terribly  frightened.  He  then  inquires  for 
the  children,  and  according  to  the  character  which 
he  hears  from  the  parents,  he  gives  them  the  intended 
presents,  as  if  they  came  out  of  heaven  from  Jesus 
Christ,  or  if  they  should  have  been  bad  children,  he 
gives  the  parents  a rod,  and,  in  name  of  his  Master, 
recommends  them  to  use  it  frequently.  About  seven 
or  eight  years  old,  the  children  are  let  into  the  secret, 
and  it  is  curious  how  faithfully  they  keep  it.” 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  ENGLAND  AND  AMERICA 

Coleridge’s  letter,  as  we  have  seen,  was  written  in 
January  1826.  In  the  succeeding  December  the 
English  people  were  to  obtain  a nearer  view  of  the 
Christmas  tree.  A great  German  lady,  the  Princess 
Lieven,  who  had  taken  up  her  residence  for  a season 
in  London  brought  many  German  customs  with  her. 

“On  Christmas,”  says  Henry  Gre’vdlle,  an  amusing 
gossip  whose  diary  was  published  after  his  death,  “the 
Princess  Lieven  got  up  a little  fete  such  as  is  cus- 
tomary all  over  Germany.  Three  trees,  in  great  pots, 
were  put  upon  a long  table  covered  with  pink  linen. 
Each  tree  was  illuminated  with  three  circular  tiers 
of  colored  wax  candles, — ^blue,  green,  red  and  white. 
Before  each  tree  was  displayed  a quantity  of  toys, 
gloves,  pocket-handkerchiefs,  wwk  boxes,  books  and 
various  articles — presents  made  to  the  owner  of  the 
tree.  It  was  very  pretty.  Here  it  was  only  for  the 
children.  In  Germany  the  custom  extends  to  persons 
of  all  ages.” 

Not  yet,  however,  did  the  custom  pass  over  to 
England.  The  people  who  saw  the  tree  in  the  parlor 

118 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  ENGLAND  119 

of  the  Princess  Lieven  or  who  heard  about  it  from 
those  who  had  there  seen  it,  made  no  attempt  to  copy 
it  in  their  own  homes.  A dozen  years  were  to  pass 
before  the  tree  took  firm  roots  in  English  soil. 

It  was  the  marriage  of  Queen  Victoria  to  a German 
prince — Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg — that  brought  about 
this  result.  The  first  child  was  a daughter  (named 
Victoria  after  her  mother)  who  became  Empress  of 
Germany  and  the  mother  of  the  present  Emperor 
William.  The  second  child  was  a son,  who  is  now 
King  Edward  VII  of  England.  When  the  Princess 
Victoria  was  about  five  years  old  Prince  Albert  set 
up  a Christmas  tree,  German  fashion,  in  the  royal 
nursery  at  Windsor  Castle. 

A writer  in  the  Cornhill  Magazine  places  the  date 
of  the  introduction  of  the  Christmas  tree  into  Eng- 
land as  December  1841.  He  remembers,  he  says, 
when  his  parents,  “who  had  spent  many  winters  in 
Germany,  first  introduced  it,  some  forty-five  years 
ago  into  England,  what  astonishment  it  created,  what 
surprised  delight  it  afforded.” 

This  writer  gives  a little  too  much  credit  to  his  par- 
ents. No  mere  subjects  of  the  queen  could  have  made 
other  people  follow  so  readily  in  their  footsteps.  The 
royal  example,  however,  was  sufiicient.  Once  a 
Christmas  tree  had  been  set  up  in  Windsor  Castle, 
you  may  be  sure  that  Christmas  trees  blazed  and 
twinkled  in  every  British  household  that  could  afford 


120 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


one.  It  has  remained  ever  since  just  what  it  is  with 
us, — the  centre  of  all  the  Christmas  festmties. 

From  the  London  News  for  December,  1848,  I 
have  taken  a picture  which  represents  the  Windsor 
Castle  Christmas  tree  with  the  English  royal  family 
of  that  date  grouped  around  it.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  how  this  English  paper  deals  with  the  novelty 
recently  brought  over  from  Germany. 

“The  tree  employed  for  this  festive  purpose,”  says  the 
New'S,  “is  a young  fir  about  eight  feet  high,  and  has  six  tiers 
of  branches.  On  each  tier,  or  branch,  are  arranged  a dozen 
wax  tapers.  Pendent  from  the  branches  are  elegant  trays, 
baskets,  bonbonnieres,  and  other  receptacles  for  sweetmeats,  of 
the  most  varied  and  expensive  kind;  and  of  all  forms,  colours, 
and  degrees  of  beauty.  Fancy  cakes,  gilt  gingerbread  and 
eggs  filled  with  sweetmeats,  are  also  suspended  b}’  variously- 
coloured  ribbons  from  the  branches.  The  tree,  which  stands 
upon  a table  covered  with  white  damask,  is  supported  at  the 
root  by  piles  of  sweets  of  a larger  kind,  and  by  toys  and  doUs 
of  all  descriptions,  suited  to  the  youthful  fanc}%  and  to  the 
several  ages  of  the  interesting  scions  of  Ro3’^alty  for  whose 
gratification  they  are  displayed.  The  name  of  each  recipient 
is  affixed  to  the  doll,  bonbon,  or  other  present  intended  for  it, 
so  that  no  difference  of  opinion  in  the  choice  of  dainties  may 
arise  to  disturb  the  equanimity  of  the  illustrious  juveniles. 
On  the  summit  of  the  tree  stands  the  small  figure  of  an  angel, 
with  outstretched  wings,  holding  in  each  hand  a wreath.” 

i 

The  tree,  we  are  further  told,  w'as  an  object  of 
much  interest  to  all  visitors  at  Windsor  Castle  from 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  AMERICA  121 


Christmas  Eve,  when  it  was  first  set  up,  until  Twelfth 
■Night,  when  it  was  taken  down.  Other  trees  were 
placed  in  other  rooms  of  the  castle.  Prince  Albert 
had  his,  which  was  decorated  and  hung  with  presents 
by  Queen  Victoria,  who  in  her  turn  received  a tree 
furnished  in  the  same  manner  by  her  consort. 

Two  trees  also  stood  on  the  sideboard  of  the  royal 
dining  room  and  presented,  we  are  told,  “a  brilliant 
appearance  when  all  the  tapers  are  lighted  up  among 
th^.  branches.” 

^/Tn  America  the  Christmas  tree  had  become  a fixture 
long  before  its  appearance  in  England.  German  em- 
igrants to  our  shores  had  brought  it  over  with  them, 
just  as  in  earlier  times  the  Dutch  settlers  of  New 
York  had  brought  over  Santa  Klaus.  But  it  flour- 
ished in  German  settlements  alone  for  many  years 
before  it  was  adopted  by  their  neighbors,  the  northern 
descendants  of  the  English  Puritans  and  Pilgrims, 
or  the  southern  descendants  of  the  English  Cavaliers. 

New  York,  as  the  great  landing  place  for  emi- 
grants and  also  as  a city  whose  Dutch  begin- 
nings had  given  it  a leaning  towards  the  Teutonic 
spirit,  was  the  first  spot  in  which  the  German  Christ- 
mas tree  made  a new  home  for  itself.  Gradually  but 
surely  the  custom  spread  to  citizens  of  other  than 
German  birth.  Fathers  of  families  got  into  the  habit 
every  Christmas  of  going  out  into  the  forests  sur- 
roimding  New  York  to  cut  a young  spruce  or  fir 


122 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


tree  for  the  holiday  times.  Or  if  they  were  rich 
enough  to  employ  men-servants,  they  sent  out  the 
footman  or  the  butler  for  this  purpose. 

It  is  said  that  a woodsman  named  Mark  Carr,  who 
was  born  among  the  foothills  of  the  CatskiU  [Moun- 
tains in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  was 
the  first  to  make  a regular  business  of  Christmas  trees. 
He  had  heard  or  read  of  the  holiday  festivities  in  the 
great  city  of  New  York,  where  churches  and  private 
parlors  were  hung  with  hoUy  and  hemlock  leaves,  and 
a pine  or  a fir  tree  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  nurserj", 
covered  with  presents  for  the  children. 

It  occurred  to  him  that  the  young  fir  trees  growing 
on  the  mountain-sides  all  around  his  little  country 
home  might  be  made  use  of  for  these  holiday  pur- 
poses. He  could  run  no  great  risks  in  making  trial 
of  the  idea.  All  he  could  lose  was  the  time  it  took 
him  to  chop  the  trees  down  and  bring  them  into  market 
and  the  cost  of  a few  daj^s’  living  in  New  York. 

In  December,  1851,  he  put  his  plan  mto  practice. 
Early  in  the  month  he  and  his  boys  loaded  a couple 
of  great  sleds  with  young  trees  cut  dovm  from  the 
neighboring  forests,  and  ha\dng  hitched  a j’oke  of 
oxen  to  each  sled  drove  them  through  the  deep  snow 
to  the  Hudson  River  at  CatskiU,  whence  the  father 
started  with  them  to  the  city. 

One  old-fashioned  silver  dollar  secured  the  use  of 
a strip  of  sidewalk  on  the  corner  of  Greenwich  and 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  IN  AMERICA  123 


Vesey  streets.  Here  the  hopeful  mountaineer  ar- 
ranged his  forest  novelties  for  Christmas  buyers.  Nor 
had  he  long  to  wait.  Customers  flocked  to  his  corner. 
Starting  with  moderate  prices  he  soon  raised  them, 
as  tree  after  tree  left  his  hands,  to  sums  that  he  would 
have  deemed  fabulous  when  he  first  dreamed  of  the 
experiment. 

Next  year  he  returned  to  the  same  place  with  a 
much  larger  stock,  and  “from  that  time  to  this,”  says 
Hexamer,  an  old  historian  of  New  York,  “business 
has  continued  to  exist  until  now  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  trees  are  yearly  sold  from  IMark  Carr’s  old  come 


At  the  present  day,  Christmas  tree  choppers  usua 
begin  work  about  the  first  of  November.  Thus  they 
avoid  the  early  snow  falls  which  are  liable  greatly 
to  increase  the  difficulties  of  the  business  by  melting 
and  freezing  again  on  the  trees  and  making  their 
branches  too  brittle. 

Firs  and  pines  growing  in  open  spaces  are  preferred 
to  those  in  dense  woodlands  because  they  are  more 
stocky  and  symmetrical.  As  the  trees  are  felled  the 
woodsmen  pile  them  up  beside  the  forest  roads,  where 
they  will  keep  fresh  and  green  for  weeks  or  if  neces- 
sary for  months. 

The  balsam  fir  is  the  favorite  for  Christmas  trees 
in  the  middle  and  eastern  states.  Its  leaves  retain 
their  color  and  elasticity  longer  than  those  of  the  black 
spruce,  of  which  large  numbers  are  however  shipped 

into  markets  further  south. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS 

In  the  Latin  countries,  that  is  to  say,  in  Italy  and 
the  southernmost  edge  of  France,  Switzerland  and 
Austria,  our  good  old  friend  Santa  Klaus  rarely  acts 
as  the  bearer  of  gifts  at  the  Christmas  season.  Even 
Russia,  though  she  has  adopted  Saint  Nicholas  as  her 
patron  saint,  and  celebrates  his  day  in  her  own  waj", 
gives  him  no  special  place  in  the  festivities  that  attend 
the  birthday  of  Christ. 

Indeed  in  all  these  countries  it  is  not  Christmas  but 
the  Epiphany,  not  December  25th  but  January  6th, 
which  is  the  day  on  which  presents  are  exchanged 
among  friends  and  relations. 

Epiphany,  best  known  among  English-speaking 
peoples  as  Twelfth  Day,  is  the  feast  of  the  Three 
Kings,  who  figure  m the  New  Testament  story  as 
the  Magi  or  Wise  INIen  of  the  East.  You  will  un- 
doubtedly remember  how  these  Wise  IMen  were 
warned  of  the  birth  of  Christ  by  the  appearance  of 
a strange  star  in  the  heavens,  and  how,  by  following 
its  guidance  they  arrived  at  the  stable  in  Bethlehem 
where  the  Savior  had  been  born. 

124 


On  the  way  to  Bethlehem. 
Painting  by  J.  Portaels. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS  127 

They  brought  with  them  gifts  of  gold,  frankin- 
cense and  myrrh  which  they  presented  to  the  Holy 
Child. 

It  was  in  memory  of  the  gift-bearing  kings  that 
Epiphany  among  the  Latin  and  Russian  peoples  is 
celebrated  as  the  season  for  exchanging  presents. 

Little  is  said  in  the  New  Testament  about  these 
wise  men.  Popular  legend  has  greatly  filled  out  the 
Biblical  story.  It  makes  them  three  rich  and  power- 
ful monarchs : — Caspar,  King  of  Tarsus,  the  land  of 
myrrh;  Melchior,  King  of  Arabia,  where  the  land  is 
ruddy  with  gold,  and  Balthasar,  King  of  Saba,  where 
frankincense  flows  from  the  trees. 

According  to  some  authors  these  kings  were  of  the 
race  of  Balaam,  the  Old  Testament  prophet,  who  had 
prepared  the  Gentiles  for  the  coming  of  Christ  into 
the  world.  He  had  foretold  that  a new  star  should 
appear  in  that  part  of  the  sky  under  which  lay  the 
land  of  Judea,  and  had  warned  his  descendants  that 
when  they  saw  the  star  they  should  follow  it  and 
should  go  to  adore  a great  king  who  would  be  born 
somewhere  in  Judea  and  be  Lord  of  the  Universe. 

Even  from  the  time  of  Balaam,  it  is  added,  senti- 
nels had  been  posted  upon  a mountain  towards  the 
east,  in  order  that  as  soon  as  the  star  rose  into  view 
they  should  give  notice  of  it  to  the  lords  of  the  coun- 
try, that  the  latter  might  go  without  delay  to  pay 
reverence  to  the  new  king.  This  notice,  as  it  hap- 


128 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


pened,  was  not  necessary  in  the  case  of  Caspar,  Mel- 
chior and  Balthasar.  Being  very  wise  and  learned 
kings  they  were  under  the  special  care  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  informed  them  in  person  of  the  appear- 
ance of  the  star. 

Each  of  them  at  once  gathered  together  a retinue  of 
servants,  as  well  as  troops  of  horses,  camels  and  drom- 
edaries, all  of  which  were  laden  with  the  choicest 
products  of  their  respective  countries.  Then  they 
started  out  in  search  of  the  new  born  king.  They 
looked  up  to  the  star  as  their  guide,  for  it  moved 
forward  as  they  moved,  and  they  well  knew  that  it 
had  been  sent  to  show  them  the  way. 

Where  the  three  kings  met  is  not  told,  but  they 
arrived  in  Jerusalem  together.  As  soon  as  they  had 
entered  the  city  gates  the  star  which  had  guided  them 
disappeared. 

Now  this  was  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  God, — 
that  on  the  failure  of  their  starry  guide  the  kings 
might  make  inquiries  in  the  caj)ital  of  Judea,  and  by 
these  means  publish  abroad  the  birth  of  the  Son  of 
God.  Hence  Herod  and  the  Jews  in  general  could 
have  no  excuse  for  ignoring  this  great  event,  and 
“the  care  and  diligence  of  the  iSlagi  would  reprove 
their  negligence  and  indifference,  because  ha%*ing 
Christ  so  near  them,  they  did  not  seek  Him,  while 
these  strangers  came  from  distant  countries  for  this 
cause  alone.” 


i 


The  Three  Kings  visit  Herod. 

Painting  by  Sebastian  Conoa, 


iTHE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS 


131 


[And  in  fact  the  three  kings,  as  they  rode  through 
the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  asked  of  every  one  they  met: 
“Where  is  He  who  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  We 
have  seen  the  star  and  have  lost  it,” 

None  could  give  them  any  information,  for  no 
one  in  Jerusalem  had  seen  the  star. 

One  of  the  writers  who  tells  this  legend  pauses  to 
praise  the  “holy  boldness”  with  which  the  Magi  pub- 
lished a new  king  in  Jerusalem  without  having  fear 
of  Herod  who  might  have  been  capable  of  putting 
them  to  death  for  this  cause.  This  writer  quotes  with 
approval  the  words  which  Saint  John  Chrysostom 
later  addressed  in  imagination  to  the  kings. 

“Tell  me,  oh  good  kings,  do  you  not  know  that 
whoever  proclaims  a new  king  in  the  life  of  a reign- 
ing king  is  liable  to  death,  that  you  do  this  thing,  and 
thus  place  yourselves  in  manifest  danger  from  Herod, 
who  may  easily  command  you  to  be  put  to  death?” 
The  same  writer  quotes  with  similar  approval  Saint 
John’s  answer  to  his  own  question: — 

“The  faith  of  these  kings  was  so  great  and  the 
love  they  bore  to  the  new-born  King  so  fervent,  that 
even  before  they  had  seen  Him  they  were  ready  to 
die  for  love  of  Him.”^ 

The  news  of  how  three  great  kings,  with  a vast 
following  of  servants  and  beasts  of  burden  had  ar- 

1 “II  Libro  D’oro.  Translated  by  Mrs.  Frances  Alexander,”  Boston. 
Little  Brown  & Co.  1905. 


132 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


rived  in  Jerusalem  soon  reached  the  ears  of  King 
Herod.  He  was  greatly  troubled  when  he  heard 
that  they  had  come  in  quest  of  a new-horn  King  of 
the  Jews,  well  knowing  that  the  kingdom  of  Judea 
did  not  belong  to  him  by  succession  or  by  birth,  but 
that  he  had  received  it  as  a reward  from  the  Romans, 
who  had  unjustly  taken  possession  of  it. 

The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  call  together  all  the 
wise  and  learned  men  of  Jerusalem,  and  ask  them 
what  the  prophets  had  said  about  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and  the  place  where  he  would  make  his  first 
appearance  on  earth. 

And  when  they  answered  that  the  babe  would  be 
born  in  Bethlehem  he  was  still  more  troubled.  He 
at  once  sent  out  messengers  to  invite  the  kings  to  his 
palace,  where  he  prepared  a great  banquet  for  them. 
ATter  they  had  feasted  he  advised  them  to  continue 
their  journey  as  far  as  the  little  town  of  Bethlehem, 
where  they  might  come  upon  the  object  of  their  quest. 

“If  you  find  that  the  child  of  prophecy  has  been 
born  there,”  he  added,  “hasten  back  and  tell  me  the 
joyful  news  that  I,  too,  may  come  and  worship  Him.” 

The  kings  promised  to  do  as  Herod  bid  them,  little 
knowing  the  guile  and  deceit  that  festered  in  his 
wicked  heart.  Then  they  resumed  their  journey. 

No  sooner  had  they  issued  out  of  the  gate  of  Jeru- 
salem than  the  star  once  more  appeared  in  the  skj^  to 
their  great  joy.  Following  it,  they  arrived  at  the 


The  Journey  of  the  Three  Kings. 

Painting  by  Andrea  del  Sarto. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS  135 

house  where,  thirteen  days  before,  Christ  had  been 
born. 

Here  the  star  stood  still,  burning  even  more  brightly 
than  ever,  as  if  to  say, 

“Here  is  He  whom  you  seek;  this  is  the  palace  of 
the  new-born  King;  this  is  the  court  of  heaven,  since 
here  its  King  has  His  abode.” 

Strange  and  complex  must  have  been  the  emotions 
these  wise  men  felt  in  their  hearts  when  they  saw  what 
the  star  showed  them — this  chamber  of  the  King  whom 
they  sought,  a place  more  suitable  for  beasts  than  for 
men;  since  not  for  men  but  for  beasts  had  it  been 
prepared. 

Within  the  stable  the  virgin  mother  was  watching 
over  the  manger,  wherein  lay  her  Divine  Son.  Her 
quick  ear  caught  the  sound  of  footsteps  and  hoof- 
beats  outside  the  door.  In  great  alarm  she  lifted 
the  Child  out  of  the  manger  and  encircled  Him  with 
her  arms.  This  was  the  attitude  in  which  the  three 
kings,  entering,  found  the  mother  and  the  Child. 

The  scales  fell  from  their  eyes  at  the  sight.  They 
now  reahzed  that  it  was  in  truth  no  human  king  who 
had  been  born  into  the  world,  but  the  King  of  Heaven 
who  had  taken  upon  himself  a human  form.  Throw- 
ing themselves  upon  their  knees,  one  by  one  they  ap- 
proached him,  and  worshipped  him  as  God  and  the 
Savior  of  man. 

Then  they  presented  Him  with  their  gifts  which 


136 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


had  now  acquired  a new  meaning.  Caspar’s  gold  tes- 
tified that  the  babe  was  a king,  Melchior’s  frankin- 
cense showed  that  he  was  God,  and  Balthasar’s  myrrh 
was  a reminder  that  he  was  a man  and  doomed  to 
suffer  a painful  death. 

For  gold  was  kept  in  kings’  treasuries,  frankincense 
was  burnt  in  divine  worship,  and  myrrh  was  used  in 
embalming  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 

The  infant  Jesus  returned  their  offerings  with 
gifts  more  preeious  still.  For  gold  He  gave  charity 
and  spiritual  riches,  for  incense,  faith,  for  myrrh, 
truth  and  meekness. 

That  night  the  kings  were  warned  in  a dream  that 
they  should  not  go  back  by  way  of  Jerusalem  because 
King  Herod  cherished  evil  designs  against  the  child 
Jesus,  but  that  they  should  return  by  other  roads  to 
their  own  kingdoms.  They  obeyed  in  all  meekness 
and  humility. 

“From  this  arose  the  custom,”  says  the  quaint  old 
author  I have  already  quoted,  “which  the  chm’ch  ob- 
serves in  processions,  of  leaving  the  church  by  one 
road  and  returning  to  it  by  another.  By  this  it  woidd 
be  well  that  all  Christians  should  learn  from  the  INIagi 
not  only  to  see  Christ,  but  having  found  Him  again, 
even  though  they  had  lost  Him,  to  retium  by  a differ- 
ent way  from  the  other;  because  if  at  first  they 
walked  in  the  ways  of  sin,  they  should  return  to  it 


The  Arrival  of  the  Three  Kings. 

Painting  by  Bernardo  Luini. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS  139 

by  the  ways  of  holiness ; and  in  this  country  they  will 
arrive  at  the  true  country,  which  is  heaven.” 

When  Herod  found  that  the  three  kings  had  re- 
turned home  without  fulfilling  their  promise  to  him  he 
was  greatly  wroth.  It  was  then  that  he  issued  his  edict 
commanding  that  all  children  under  the  age  of  two 
years  should  be  put  to  death.  He  hoped  that  the 
Messiah  would  be  slaughtered  among  the  rest.  But, 
as  the  New  Testament  tells  us,  the  Holy  Family  re- 
ceived a special  warning  from  heaven  and  fled  into 
Egypt  before  the  emissaries  of  wicked  King  Herod 
could  reach  them. 

As  to  the  three  kings,  when  they  had  arrived,  each 
at  his  own  capital,  they  cast  aside  their  royal  robes  and 
abandoned  their  royal  state.  Giving  all  their  goods 
to  the  poor  they  wandered  about  the  earth  annnounc- 
ing  that  the  Savior  of  man  had  been  born  in  Beth- 
lehem. 

Seven  years  after  the  death  of  Christ  upon  the 
cross  the  wise  men  were  found  in  India  by  Saint 
Thomas,  once  the  doubting  disciple,  now  become  firm 
in  the  faith,  and  an  apostle  to  the  East.  Saint 
Thomas  baptized  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  too  became 
missionaries  of  the  gospel.  In  the  end  they  fell  mar- 
tyrs for  their  faith  and  their  bodies  were  all  buried 
together  outside  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 


140 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Three  hundred  years  passed  away.  Then  Saint 
Helena,  mother  of  the  Emperor  'Qonstantin^,'  made 
her  famous  pilgrimage  to  Palestine.  Though  she 
was  quite  eighty  years  of  age  she  was  still  full  of 
life  and  vigor.  All  her  time  and  energies  she  devoted 
to  the  discovery  of  early  Christian  remains.  She  is 
credited  with  the  finding  of  the  cross  on  wliich  Clirist 
suffered  and  the  tomb  in  which  He  was  buried. 

She  also  identified  the  tomb  of  the  Three  Kings  and 
carried  their  bodies_away  with  her,  on  her  return 
journey  to  CQonstantii^ple,  to  re-bury  them  in  the 
church  of  Saint  Sophia.  Later  the  remains  were 
transferred  to  Milan  and  later  still  to  Cologne. 
There  they  are  still  shown,  in  a side  chapel  of  the  | 
great  Cathedral,  lying  in  a golden  shrine — their  grin-  [ 
ning  skulls  girt  with  golden  crowns,  and  their  skel-  | 
eton  bodies  clad  in  royal  purple,  bedecked  with  jewels  j 
of  enormous  value. 

This  is  the  story  of  the  Three  Kings  as  it  is  related 
all  over  Europe.  In  the  Latin  countries  and  in  Rus- 
sia, an  episode  is  added  which  is  unknown  in  other 
lands. 

On  their  way  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  so  this 
added  legend  runs,  the  three  kings  came  across  an  old 
woman  who  was  cleaning  up  her  house. 

She  asked  them  whither  they  were  going.  And 
when  they  told  her  that  they  were  on  their  way  to 


The  Adoration  of  the  Magi. 

Painting  by  Fra  Angelico. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS  143 

pay  homage  to  the  new-born  King  of  the  Jews  she 
prayed  them  to  tarry  until  she  had  finished  her  task. 

“Fain  would  I go  with  you,”  she  pleaded,  “and 
join  in  your  homage.” 

“Nay,”  replied  the  kings,  “we  have  no  time  to 
wait.  But  leave  your  work  and  come  with  us.” 

The  old  woman  refused  to  leave  her  work  until  it 
was  all  finished.  Then  it  was  too  late.  She  strove, 
indeed,  to  follow  the  kings,  but  they  were  lost  to 
sight. 

Ever  since  that  day  she  has  been  wandering  about 
the  earth  seeking  for  the  child  Jesus.  And  on  the 
eve  of  the  Epiphany  she  comes  down  the  chimneys 
of  the  houses,  leaving  gifts  for  the  little  ones,  as  the 
kings  left  gifts  for  the  infant  Jesus,  and  hoping 
against  hope  that  she  may  find  Him  whom  she  still 
seeks. 

In  Italy  she  is  known  to  this  day  as  the  Befana 
(a  corruption  of  Epiphania,  the  Italian  for  Epi- 
phany) and  in  Russia  as  the  Baboushka  or  little  old 
woman. 

On  the  eve  of  Epiphany,  Italian  children  hang 
up  their  clothes,  after  carefully  emptying  the  pock- 
ets, around  the  huge  fireplaces  which  are  common 
both  in  palaces  and  in  hovels.  During  the  night  the 
Befana  comes  down  the  chimney,  just  like  Santa 
Klaus  on  Christmas  eve.  If  the  children  have  been 


144 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


good,  she  stuffs  their  pockets  full  of  candies  and 
other  presents,  but  if  they  have  been  bad  all  they 
get  from  her  are  charcoal  ashes  or  birchrods. 

In  Spain,  however,  it  is  not  the  Befana  nor  the 
Baboushka,  but  one  of  the  three  kings,  no  less  a per- 
son indeed  than  Balthazar,  who  is  the  gift  bearer. 
On  the  eve  of  the  Epiphany  children  leave  their  shoes 
and  boots  out  in  some  convenient  spot  near  the  chim- 
ney, expecting  Balthazar  will  fill  them  during  the 
night. 

From  early  times  he  has  been  represented  as  a 
blackamoor  or  negro.  But  not  from  the  earhest. 
In  the  pictures  by  Giotto  and  Fra  Angehco  repre- 
senting the  Adoration  of  the  IMagi,  Balthazar  is  shown 
as  a white  man.  In  a picture  on  the  same  subject 
by  Bernardo  Luini  he  appears  with  the  woolly  hair, 
black  face  and  thick  lips  of  the  negro. 

Somewhere  between  the  time  of  Fra  Angelico  and 
Bernardo  Luini,  Balthazar  changed  his  skin  and  be- 
came a colored  gentleman. 

In  many  Italian  cities,  it  is  the  custom  of  shop- 
keepers to  decorate  their  windows  with  puppets  meant 
to  represent  the  three  kings.  Conspicuous  among 
these  grins  the  black  face  of  Balthazar. 

There  is  a poem  by  the  famous  Dean  Trench 
which  was  probably  suggested  by  Luini’s  picture. 
Here  are  some  of  the  most  striking  fines.  They  wfil 
show  you  how  closely  the  poem  follows  the  picture: 


Tlie  Adoration  of  the  Ma, 

Painting  by  Veronese. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  KINGS 


147 


From  what  region  of  the  mom 
Are  ye  come,  thus  travel-wom, 

With  those  boxes  pearl-embost, 

Caskets  rare,  and  gifts  of  cost? 

While  your  swarth  attendants  wait 
At  the  stable’s  outer  gate. 

And  the  camels  lift  their  head 
High  above  the  lowly  shed ; 

Or  are  seen,  a long-drawn  train, 
Winding  down  into  the  plain. 

From  below  the  light-blue  line 
Of  the  hills  in  distance  fine, 

Dear  for  your  own  sake,  whence  are  ye? 
Dearer  for  the  mystery 
That  is  round  you — on  what  skies 
Gazing,  saw  you  first  arise. 

Thro’  the  darkness,  that  clear  star. 
Which  has  marshall’d  you  so  far. 

Even  untoi  this  strawy  tent. 

Dancing  up  the  Orient? 

Shall  we  name  you  Kings  indeed, 

Or  is  this  our  idle  creed? 

Kings  of  Seba,  with  the  gold 
And  the  incense  long  foretold? 

Would  the  Gentile  world  by  you 
First-fmits  pay  of  tribute  due; 

Or  have  Israel’s  scatter’d  race. 

From  their  unknown  hiding-place, 

Sent  to  claim  their  part  and  right 
In  the  Child  new-born  to-night? 


148 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


An  older  poet  than  Treneh,  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury George  Wither,  has  woven  some  pretty  fancies 
about  the  story  of  the  wise  men  as  it  is  told  by  Saint 
Matthew  in  the  New  Testament. 

That  so  thy  blessed  birth,  oh  Christ, 

Might  through  the  world  be  spread  about. 

Thy  Starre  appeared  in  the  East, 

Whereby  the  Gentiles  found  thee  out ; 

And,  ofF’ring  Thee  Myrrh,  Incense,  Gold, 

Thy  threefold  Office  did  unfold. 

Sweet  Jesus,  let  that  Starre  of  Thine, 

Thy  Grace,  which  guides  to  find  out  Thee, 
Within  our  hearts  for  ever  shine. 

That  Thou  of  us  found  out  maist  bee: 

And  Thou  shalt  be  our  King,  therefore, 

Our  Priest,  and  Prophet  evennore. 

Teares  that  from  true  repentance  drop, 

Instead  of  Myrrhe,  present  will  wee : 

For  Incense,  we  will  offer  up 

Our  Praiers  and  Praises  unto  Thee ; 

And  bring  for  Gold  each  pious  deed. 

Which  doth  from  saving  faith  proceed. 

And  as  those  Wise  men  never  went 
To  visit  Herod  any  more; 

So,  finding  Thee,  we  will  repent 
Our  courses  follow’d  heretofore: 

And  that  we  homeward  may  retire. 

Our  way  by  Thee  we  will  enquire. 


The  Adoration  of  the  Three  Kings. 
Prom  the  painting  hy  E.  Burne  Jones, 


CHAPTER  XII 


SOME  TWELFTH  NIGHT  CUSTOMS 

As  Twelfth  Night,  or  Epiphany,  is  a day  dedicated 
to  the  three  Wise  Men  of  the  New  Testament — the 
three  kings  of  popular  legend — it  is  only  natural  that 
one  or  more  kings  should  be  everywhere  prominent 
in  the  celebration  of  the  holiday. 

The  full  trio  are  present  in  many  places.  Thus  in 
Milan,  Italy,  three  young  men  dress  themselves  up 
in  royal  robes  on  Epiphany  morning  and  mounting 
horses  as  splendidly  attired  as  themselves  appear  be- 
fore the  city  gates.  They  are  admitted  with  loud 
cheers,  and  a procession  is  formed.  Before  the  kings 
marches  a man  bearing  a large  gilt  star ; behind  them 
the  citizens  fall  into  line.  At  every  street  corner 
new  batches  of  citizens  join  the  parade.  They  file 
through  the  streets  to  the  cathedral.  At  its  steps  the 
kings  dismount,  and,  with  their  followers,  march  up 
the  aisle  to  the  high  altar  where  a figure  of  the  infant 
Christ  lies  in  a manger.  Every  one  who  wishes  may 
leave  a present  in  the  manger.  Then  the  procession 
disbands. 

In  Madrid  a bit  of  practical  joking  is  still  indulged 

151 


152 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


in  on  Epiphany  eve.  The  peasants  from  miles  around 
flock  into  the  city  at  that  time.  Many  of  them  are 
very  ignorant  and  very  superstitious.  The  town 
folk  think  it  funny  to  gather  together  in  small  crowds 
all  playing  on  noisy  horns  and  thumping  discordant 
drums.  The  mobs  parade  up  and  down  the  streets. 
Their  great  delight  is  to  fall  in  wdth  some  simpleton 
who  is  new  to  city  ways.  Such  a man  is  easily  made 
to  beheve  that  they  are  on  their  way  to  meet  the 
three  kings,  who  are  expected  to  arrive  at  one  of 
the  gates  some  time  that  night. 

The  mob  urge  the  countryman  to  join  them.  If 
he  consents  they  throw  over  his  neck  a mule  collar 
with  a string  of  bells  attached  to  it.  Then  a step 
ladder  is  thrust  into  his  hands.  To  the  jingling  of 
his  own  hells  the  poor  yokel  is  made  to  carrj'-  the 
ladder  through  the  streets.  At  every  one  of  the  gates 
of  the  city  the  mob  halt  and  command  their  victim 
to  climb  up  the  ladder  and  peer  over  the  walls  to  see 
if  the  kings  are  anywhere  in  sight. 

Sometimes  when  he  reaches  the  top  the  poor  VTetch 
is  allowed  to  fall,  at  the  risk  of  a cracked  head  or  a 
broken  limb.  If  he  escapes  all  dangers,  he  is  led 
on  from  gate  to  gate  until  his  patience  or  liis  faith 
is  exhausted. 

In  England,  as  well  as  in  France,  a single  king 
survives  in  the  ceremony  of  the  Twelfth  Cake. 


The  Child’s  Twelfth  Night  Dream. 

Drawing  by  John  Leech. 


SOME  TWELFTH  NIGHT  CUSTOMS 


155 


France,  which  was  probably  the  inventor  of  this  eat- 
able, known  there  as  the  King’s  Cake,  cherishes  the 
custom  with  especial  gusto.  So  let  us  begin  with  the 
Galette  du  Roi. 

The  size  of  the  cake  is  determined  by  the  number  of 
the  guests  for  whom  it  is  to  be  served.  It  is  usually 
made  of  pastry  and  is  baked  in  a round  sheet  like  a pie. 
A broad  bean  was  formerly  baked  into  the  cake,  but 
in  our  day  a wee  httle  china  image  is  usually  sub- 
stituted for  the  bean.  When  ready  the  cake  is  cut 
into  slices  and  the  youngest  child  at  the  table  directs 
how  these  slices  shall  be  distributed  to  the  others. 
There  is  great  excitement  as  slice  after  slice  is  handed 
out  and  eaten. 

At  last  some  one’s  teeth  come  in  contact  with  the 
image  and  he  spits  it  out.  “He,”  I say,  on  the  sup- 
position that  it  is  a boy.  If  it  is,  indeed,  a boy,  he 
is  called  King  of  the  Bean  (le  Roi  Favette),  and 
chooses  a queen  from  among  the  girls.  If  it  be  a girl 
she  becomes  queen  and  chooses  a boy  as  her  consort. 

King  and  queen  are  now  closely  watched  by  their 
companions.  When  either  of  them  drinks  the  whole 
party  has  to  cry  out  “The  king  drinks”  or  “the  queen 
drinks,”  as  the  case  may  be.  Any  one  who  fails  to 
join  in  the  cry  has  to  pay  a forfeit. 

In  England  the  custom  varies  in  different  localities 
as  it  has  varied  at  different  dates. 


156 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


What  it  was  in  London  during  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century  is  best  described  by  Hone  in  his 
“Table  Book:” 

“First  buy  your  cake,”  says  this  author.  “Xext, 
look  at  your  invitation  list,  and  count  the  number  of 
ladies  you  expect,  and  afterwards  the  number  of  gen- 
tlemen. 

“Then  you  write  down  on  slips  of  paper  the  names 
of  as  many  famous  characters  in  history,  male  and 
female,  as  will  cover  the  list  of  guests.  Add  to  each 
slip  some  pleasant  bit  of  verse. 

“Fold  them  up  exactly  of  the  same  size,  and  num- 
ber each  on  the  back;  taking  care  to  make  the  king 
Xo.  1 and  the  queen  Xo.  2.  Cause  tea  and  coffee  to 
be  handed  to  your  visitors  as  they  drop  in.  When 
all  are  assembled  and  tea  is  over,  put  as  many  ladies’ 
characters  in  a reticule  as  there  are  ladies  present; 
next  put  the  gentlemen’s  characters  in  a hat.  Then 
call  on  a gentleman  to  carry  the  reticule  to  the  ladies 
as  they  sit;  from  which  each  lady  is  to  draw  one  ticket 
and  to  preserve  it  unopened.  Select  a lady  to  bear 
the  hat  to  the  gentlemen,  for  the  same  purpose. 
There  will  be  one  ticket  left  in  the  reticule,  and  another 
in  the  hat, — which  the  lady  and  gentleman  who  car- 
ried each  is  to  interchange,  as  having  fallen  to  each. 
Xext  arrange  your  \dsitors,  according  to  their  num- 
bers; — the  king  Xo.  1,  the  queen  Xo.  2 and  so  on. 
The  king  is  then  to  recite  the  verse  on  his  ticket ; then 


SOME  TWELFTH  NIGHT  CUSTOMS  157 

the  queen  a verse  on  hers;  and  so  the  characters  are 
to  proceed  in  numerical  order. 

“This  done,  let  the  cake  and  refreshments  go  round ; 
and  hey!  for  merriment!” 

In  earlier  days,  however,  we  know  that  the  cake 
played  a more  important  part  in  the  festivities  than 
Hone  allows  to  it.  In  fact  the  English  here  closely 
followed  the  French  fashion  which  I have  already 
described,  although  in  England  the  King’s  bean  was 
supplemented  by  a pea  for  the  Queen.  This  much 
we  may  learn  from  a poem  by  Robert  Herrick,  who 
lived  in  the  seventeenth  century : 

Now,  now,  the  mirth  comes 
With  the  cake  full  of  plums. 

Where  bean  is  the  king  of  the  sport  here ; 

Beside  we  must  know. 

The  pea  also 

Must  revel  as  queen  in  the  court  here. 

Begin  then  to  choose 
This  night  as  ye  use. 

Who  shall  for  the  present  delight  here; 

Be  a king  by  the  lot. 

And  who  shall  not 

Be  Twelfth-day  Queen  for  the  night  her®. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


ST.  NICHOLAS  IN  ENGLAND 

St.  Nicholas  is  practically  forgotten  to-day  in 
Protestant  England.  But  in  ^Jhe  merrie  England  of 
olden  times,  before  the  Catholic  religion  had  given 
way  to  Protestantism,  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
saints  in  the  calendar. 

This  is  shown  not  only  by  the  number  of  churches 
dedicated  in  his  honor,  but  also  by  the  number  of  boys 
who  received  his  name  in  baptism.  Nicholases  were 
once  as  common  among  the  Englishmen  of  the  past 
as  Maries  were  among  English  w^omen.  A curious 
fact  may  be  brough  up  in  evidence.  In  English  cat- 
echisms, whose  forms  date  from  a very  early  time,  the 
question  is  put  to  the  pupil: 

“What  is  your  name?” 

And  the  answer  is  printed  thus:  “N.  or  INI.”  Of 
course  the  pupil  is  expected  to  put  his  or  her  name  in 
place  of  these  initials.  Now  it  is  probable  that  N 
stands  for  Nicholas  and  M for  INIary,  and  the  choice  of 
these  initials  was  made  not  only  because  Nicholas  was 
the  patron  of  boys  and  INIary  of  girls,  but  because  these 
were  the  commonest  names  in  Old  England. 

158 


ST.  NICHOLAS  IN  ENGLAND 


159 


iThe  feast  of  St.  Nicholas  used  to  be  celebrated  by 
a ceremony  known  as  the  election  of  a Boy-bishop. 
This  custom  existed  to  some  extent  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  but  it  nowhere  flourished  so  vigorously 
as  in  England.  It  has  been  traced  as  far  back  as 
the  thirteenth  century. 

To  the  choir  boys  and  altar  boys  of  English 
churches  it  was  a particularly  exciting  time. 

On  St.  Nicholas’  eve  all  the  boys  who  sang  in  the 
choir  or  served  at  the  altar  met  at  their  parish  church, 
or  in  the  great  cathedral,  if  they  belonged  to  a bishop’s 
see,  and  elected  one  from  among  their  number,  who 
took  the  title  of  “the  Boy-bishop.”  This  title  with 
its  dignities  he  retained  until  December  28th,  Holy 
Innocents’  Day,  so  called  because  it  is  the  anniversary 
of  the  slaughter  of  the  children  in  Palestine  by  order 
of  the  wicked  King  Herod. 

The  Boy-bishop  was  dressed  in  the  robes  of  a real 
bishop.  On  his  head  was  placed  a mitre,  in  his  right 
hand  a crozier.  Another  boy  was  elected  dean,  while 
the  rest  were  styled  canons,  aU  being  dressed  in  the 
robes  of  their  office. 

During  the  three  weeks  from  December  5 to  De- 
cember 28,  the  Boy-bishop  could  perform  all  the  du- 
ties of  a real  bishop,  except  that  of  saying  mass.  If 
a priest  died  during  the  period  when  he  held  oflice 
he  could  appoint  another  to  take  his  place  in  the 
church  left  vacant.  If  he  himself  died  before  Holy 


160 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Innocents’  Day  he  was  given  a bishop’s  grand  funeral 
in  the  cathedral. 

“There  is  a little  tomb  of  this  kind,”  says  Miss 
Abbie  Farwell  Brown,  “not  half  the  size  of  a full- 
grown  one,  in  a great  cathedral  that  I know.  It  is 
of  white  marble,  grandly  carved  and  decorated,  and 
though  it  is  worn  and  nicked  by  eight  hundred  years 
of  change,  one  can  plainly  see  that  it  is  a child’s  face 
among  the  long  curls  beneath  the  bishop’s  mitre.  Xo 
one  knows  his  name,  nor  aught  about  him,  save  that 
he  must  be  one  of  the  Boy -bishops  who  died  at  Christ- 
mas time,  or  he  would  not  he  buried  in  the  great 
cathedral  tomb.”  ^ 

Doubtless  Miss  Brown  has  in  mind  the  cathedral 
of  Salisbury,  England.  In  the  nave  of  that  great 
minster  there  is  just  such  a tomb,  with  just  such  a 
likeness  carved  upon  it.  The  boy’s  foot  rests  on  the 
figure  of  a monster  with  a lion’s  head  and  a dragon’s 
tail,  in  allusion  to  the  words  of  the  psalmist  “Thou 
shalt  tread  on  the  lion  and  the  dragon.” 

But  to  continue.  On  December  6th  the  newly 
elected  Boy-bishop  with  his  dean  and  canons  held  a 
grand  service  in  the  church  to  which  they  were  at- 
tached, the  prayers  being  chanted  in  the  boy’s  sweet 
childish  voice.  A great  crowd  always  thronged  the 
church  to  gaze  on  so  rare  a sight,  and  the  offerings 
that  they  made  were  all  for  the  Boy-bishop. 

1 Lippincott’s  Magazine. 


ST.  NICHOLAS  IN  ENGLAND 


161 


After  the  services  were  over  the  bishop  and  his  boy- 
assistants  would  form  themselves  into  a procession 
and  parade  through  the  streets  of  the  town  or  the 
lanes  of  the  countryside,  asking  some  small  money 
tributes  from  all  they  met  and  at  every  door  where 
they  knocked.  This  was  known  as  the  Bishop’s  Sub- 
sidy and  though  no  one  was  likely  to  give  a great 
deal,  yet  as  the  procession  was  continued  every  day 
during  the  three  weeks,  the  amount  collected  some- 
times rolled  up  into  quite  a pretty  sum. 

Faster  and  more  furious  grew  the  fun  as  the  time 
of  the  bishop’s  rule  neared  its  close.  On  the  after- 
noon of  December  27th  little  Nicholas  and  his  com- 
panions sang  vespers,  while  the  real  priests  of  the 
church  acted  as  altar  boys  and  choristers.  Then  the 
Boy-bishop  gave  a solemn  benediction  to  all  present. 
Making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  the  kneeling 
throngs,  he  dismissed  them  with  the  words : 

Crucis  signo  vos  consigno ; vestra  sit  tuitio, 

Quos  nos  emit  et  redemit  suae  carnis  pretio. 

These  latin  words  being  translated  into  English  mean : 

“I  bestow  upon  you  the  sign  of  the  cross,  yours 
be  it  to  learn  what  is  sent  for  our  redemption  through 
the  price  of  his  flesh.” 

Next  day  (the  actual  feast  of  the  Holy  Innocents) , 
the  Boy-bishop  preached  a sermon  which  usually  was 
written  for  him  by  some  famous  prelate.  On  his  dis- 


162 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


missal  of  the  congregation  at  the  close  of  the  sermon, 
the  festival  of  the  Boy -bishop  was  at  an  end. 

When  Henry  VIII  became  a Protestant  and 
brought  over  a great  many  of  his  subjects  to  the 
new  faith  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  abolish  the  Boy- 
bishop  and  his  festival.  Henry’s  daughter,  Queen 
Mary,  restored  both  for  the  few  years  of  her  ovm 
reign,  but  Queen  Elizabeth,  her  sister  and  successor, 
put  an  end  to  the  mummery  forever. 

We  catch  our  last  glimpse  of  the  Boy -bishop  in 
the  pages  of  a historian  called  William  Strype,  who 
informs  us  that  on  the  fifth  day  of  December,  1556, 
(Queen  Mary  being  then  still  alive)  “a  boy  habited 
like  a bishop  in  pontificalibus,  went  abroad  in  most 
parts  of  London,  singing  after  the  old  fashion,  and 
was  received  by  many  ignorant  but  well  disposed  peo- 
ple into  their  houses,  and  had  as  much  good  cheer  as  | 
was  ever  wont  to  be  had  before,  at  least  in  many  pla- 
ces.” 

Old  customs  die  hard.  We  have  come  across  many 
instances  of  the  truth  of  this  sajdng  in  the  course 
of  our  study  of  the  Christmas  festivals.  Just  as  Chris-  i 
tianity  had  to  retain  and  remodel  many  old  heathen 
customs,  so  Protestantism  (often  without  meaning 
it)  retained  and  remodeled  many  an  old  Catholic  cus- 
tom. Just  as  Silenus,  and  Saturn,  survived  in  a 
measure  as  Santa  Claus,  so  the  Boy-bishop,  in  a 


ST.  NICHOLAS  IN  ENGLAND 


163 


measure,  survived  as  the  hero  of  a ceremony  which 
flourished  at  the  school  of  Eton  until  nearly  the  mid- 
dle of  the  nineteenth  century. 

This  was  known  as  Eton  Montem.  It  was  cele- 
hrated  not  in  December  but  in  June,  though  tradition 
tells  us  that  the  original  date  was  St.  Nicholas  Day 
and  that  the  ceremony  was  instituted  in  the  year 
1440,  the  very  year  when  Eton  was  founded. 

Later  it  took  place  every  third  year  on  the  Tuesday 
after  Whitsunday  or  Pentecost,  which  usually  falls 
in  June.  On  that  day  a procession  of  all  the  scholars 
went  from  the  school  buildings  to  a hill  known  as 
Salt  Hill  that  rises  just  outside  of  the  grounds.  At 
their  head  marched  the  captain  and  his  chaplain,  the 
one  being  the  head  boy  of  the  highest  class  in  school, 
the  other  the  head  boy  of  the  second  class.  The 
chaplain  was  dressed  in  a suit  of  priestly  black  with 
a bushy  wig  upon  his  head. 

Two  boys  called  “salt  bearers”  with  “scouts” 
dressed  hke  old-time  footmen  ran  beside  the  proces- 
sion begging  from  all  passershy  and  they  scattered 
through  the  roads  to  beg  at  the  doors  of  houses  for 
miles  around. 

The  money  thus  collected  was  put  into  a great  bag, 
already  sprinkled  with  a small  quantity  of  salt  and 
at  the  end  of  the  day  this  bag  was  handed  over  to 
the  captain.  It  was  used  to  pay  his  expenses  when 


164 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


he  left  Eton  for  some  one  of  the  great  universities.  , 
Not  infrequently  it  mounted  up  to  hundreds  of  dol- 
lars and  sometimes  even  to  a thousand  or  more. 

Up  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  < 
was  customary  for  the  chaplain  to  read  prayers  on 
Salt  Hill.  He  was  assisted  by  a clerk  whom  he 
kicked  down  hill  at  their  conclusion.  The  irreverence 
of  this  part  of  the  ceremony  shocked  Queen  Carohne 
and  at  her  request  it  was  ever  afterwards  omitted. 

In  1847  the  entire  ceremony  was  abohshed  by  act  i 
of  Parliament,  the  last  celebration  having  taken  place 
on  June  28th,  1844. 

And  thus  the  last  vestige  of  Saint  Nicholas  passed 
out  of  the  ceremonial  life  of  England. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


FATHER  CHRISTMAS  AND  HIS  FAMILY 

The  English,  as  I have  said,  have  no  Saint  Nich- 
olas, no  Santa  Klaus,  no  Chris-kinkle  to  act  as  a dis- 
tributor of  gifts  on  Christmas  eve.  They  hail  as  the 
patron  of  the  season  a vague  allegorical  being,  usually 
called  Father  Christmas,  though  he  has,  sometimes, 
been  known  also  as  Old  Christmas,  Captain  Christ- 
mas, and  by  other  titles. 

He  appears  only  in  picture,  in  poetry,  and  in  dra- 
matic pieces  specially  got  up  for  the  holidays.  In  the 
latter  he  has  played  an  important  part  from  a very 
early  period.  The  most  famous  of  such  pieces  was  a 
“masque”  written  by  Ben  Jonson,  Shakespeare’s 
friend  and  rival,  and  produced  at  the  court  of  King 
James  I in  the  year  1616.  That,  by  the  way,  is  the 
very  year  of  Shakespeare’s  death. 

Christmas  festivities  at  that  time  were  frowned 
down  upon  by  many  of  the  more  zealous  Protestants — 
just  then  beginning  to  earn  the  name  of  “Puritans” — 
who  fancied  that  these  mummeries  and  rejoicings 
smacked  too  strongly  of  “Papist”  or  Roman  Cath- 

165 


166 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


olice  tendencies.  Indeed  many  fanatics  had  striven 
to  abolish  Christmas  altogether,  and  had  partly  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  so,  at  least  among  the  people  who  ' 
believed  as  they  did.  But  James  I,  though  a foohsh 
person  in  some  respects  was  a learned  man  and  a 
great  lover  of  the  traditions  of  the  past. 

It  is  in  allusion  to  the  Puritan  attempt  to  sup- 
press him  altogether  that  Ben  Jonson’s  Father  Christ- 
mas utters  these  words  as  he  makes  his  entrance  upon  | 
the  stage : | 

i 

“Why,  gentlemen,  do  you  know  what  you  do  ? Ha ! would  | 
you  have  kept  me  out?  Christmas! — Old  Christmas — 
Christmas  of  London,  and  Captain  Christmas ! Pray  you  let 
me  be  brought  before  my  Lord  Chamberlain;  I’ll  not  be 
answered  else.  ‘ ’Tis  merry  in  hall,  'when  beards  wag  all.’ 

I have  seen  the  time  you  have  wished  for  me,  for  a merry 
Christmas,  and  now  you  have  me,  they  would  not  let  me  in: 

I must  come  another  time!  A good  jest — as  if  I could  come 
more  than  once  a year.  Why,  I am  no  dangerous  person,  I 
and  so  I told  my  friends  of  the  guard.  I am  old  Gregory 
Christmas,  still,  and,  though  I come  out  of  the  Pope’s  Head- 
alley,  as  good  a Protestant  as  any  in  my  parish.”  j 

He  must  have  been  a quaint  looking  figure,  tliis  i 
same  Father  Christmas,  for  we  are  told  that  his  cos-  ! 
tume  consisted  of 

“round  hose,  long  stockings,  close  doublet,  high-crowned  I 
hat,  with  a brooch,  long,  thin  beard,  truncheon,  little  ruffs. 


Father  Christmas. 

Drawn  by  Kenny  Meadows. 

From  the  Illustrated  London  News,  December,  1847. 


FATHER  CHRISTMAS  AND  HIS  FAMILY  169 


white  shoes,  with  his  scarfs  and  garters  tied  cross,  and  his 
drum  beaten  before  him,” 

And  now,  to  the  sound  of  the  drum,  in  troop  all 
his  merry  family — sons  and  daughters  and  nephews 
and  nieces.  Among  them  are  the  Lord  of  Misrule, 
who  in  old  days  directed  the  Christmas  revels;  Roast 
Beef,  “that  English  Champion  bold,”  who  has  saved 
many  a sturdy  Englishman  from  starvation;  Plum 
Pudding,  a blackamoor,  with  rich  round  face  and 
rosemary  cockade;  and  Minced  Pie,  and  Baby  Cake, 
and  Mumming  and  Wassail  and  Offering  and  Carol, 
and  New  Year’s  Gift,  and  others  too  numerous  to 
mention. 

Many  members  of  this  robust  family  will  be  recog- 
nized as  contributors  to  the  Christmas  cheer  of 
to-day.  Others  have  disappeared  forever. 

The  Lord  of  Misrule,  for  example,  the  “Grand 
Captain  of  Mischief,”  as  the  Puritans  called  him,  no 
1 longer  summons  around  him  all  the  madcap  youths 
of  town  or  village  for  a brief  period  of  lawless  rev- 
. elry. 

In  Scotland  this  personage  was  known  as  the  Abbot 
of  Unreason,  a name  which  clearly  shows  that  he 
was  a direct  descendant  from  the  chief  performer  in 
the  mediaeval  Feast  of  Fools,  and  as  such  was  a 
great-great-etc.-grandson  of  Silenus,  the  merrymaker 
in  the  Greek  Bacchanalia. 


I 


170  THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 

King  James  I of  England  was  succeeded  by  his  ' 
son  Charles  I.  During  the  reign  of  the  latter  un-  , 
happy  monarch,  the  Puritan  party  in  England  gath-  ' 
ered  so  much  strength  that,  under  the  lead  of  Oliver  ; 
Cromwell,  they  hurled  Charles  from  his  throne  and  i 
cut  off  his  head,  sending  his  entire  family  into  exile 
for  a period  of  a dozen  years.  Father  Christmas  : 
shared  the  exile  of  his  royal  patrons,  or  if  he  dared  I 
show  his  face  in  England  at  all,  it  was  only  here  and  | 
there  in  remote  country  places  or  behind  locked  doors  I 
in  the  obscurer  parts  of  the  great  cities.  JNIeanwhile  i 
his  absence  was  greatly  deplored  by  that  part  of  the  | 
English  people  who  had  remained  loyal  to  the  crown.  I 
One  of  these  put  forward  a curious  little  book  en-  i 
titled  “An  Hue  and  Cry  after  Christmas.”  The  fol- 1 
lowing  paragraph  shows  the  spirit  in  which  the  book  li 
was  Avritten : ^ 

“Any  man  or  woman,  that  can  giv^e  any  knowledge,  & 
or  tell  any  tidings  of  an  old,  old,  very  old  grey-  j 
bearded  gentleman,  called  Christmas,  Avho  AA^as  AA'ont  i 
to  be  a very  familiar  guest  and  Ausit  all  sorts  of  peo-  j 
pie,  both  poor  and  rich,  and  used  to  appear  in  glit- 1 
tering  gold,  silk  and  silver,  in  the  court,  and  in  all  i 
shapes  in  the  theatre  in  White  Hall,  and  had  ring- 1 
ing,  feasts  and  jollity  in  all  places,  both  in  the  city  | 
and  the  countrj^  for  his  coming — AA’hoeA^er  can  teU  1 
what  is  become  of  him,  or  AA^here  he  may  be  found,  let  ’ 
him  bring  him  back  again  into  England.” 


Father  Christmas,  another  conception. 

Drawing  by  Kenny  Meadows. 


FATHER  CHRISTMAS  AND  HIS  FAMILY,  173 


iWell,  Father  Christmas  did  come  back  to  Eng- 
land in  the  train  of  Charles  I’s  son,  Charles  II  who 
shortly  after  Cromwell’s  death  was  restored  to  the 
English  throne  by  the  wish  of  the  majority  of  the 
Enghsh  people. 

When  he  resumed  the  rule  that  had  been  wrested 
by  the  Puritans  from  his  father  the  old  celebrations 
of  Christmas  were  to  some  extent  revived  in  the 
royal  and  other  mansions  and  at  the  theatres. 

“To  some  extent” — that  is  too  often  a sad  phrase! 

It  means,  in  this  case,  that  pretty  much  all  the 
life  and  spirit  of  the  old  ceremonies  had  departed 
so  that  no  revival  could  restore  them  to  their  former 
vitality. 

The  changes  wrought  by  the  troublous  times 
through  which  England  had  passed  were  fatal  to 
the  old-time  splendors  of  the  Christmas  season.  In 
the  country  many  of  the  great  old  estates  had  passed 
into  new  hands  and  the  old  ties  between  the  lord  of 
the  manor  and  his  tenants  had  been  forever  sundered. 
The  rafters  of  the  old  baronial  halls  no  longer  rang 
with  the  merriment  which  had  graced  the  meeting 
of  master  and  servants  on  a holiday  basis  of  equality. 
Friends  and  relatives  who  from  childhood  had  gath- 
ered together  around  the  Yule  log  were  now  scattered 
or  had  been  slain  by  the  chances  of  war.  Members 
of  old  country  families  deprived  by  Cromwell  of  their 
estates  and  driven  into  exile,  now  flocked  to  London 


174 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


to  become  hangers-on  at  the  court  of  a “Merry  Mon- 
arch” whose  mirth  was  often  bought  at  the  expense 
of  his  subject’s  years. 

The  Merry  Monarch,  himself  (that  was  the  name 
given  to  Charles  II),  was  a prodigal  and  a spend- 
thrift, who  found  all  sorts  of  new  ways  in  which  to 
squander  the  money  raised  by  taxes  from  his  subjects. 
He  had  httle  left,  therefore,  to  imitate  the  splendid 
pageants  that  distinguished  the  courts  of  Queen 
Ehzabeth  and  James  I at  the  ancient  holiday  seasons. 

A famous  song  called  “The  Old  and  Young 
Courtier”  was  written  shortly  after  Charles  II  had 
regained  his  throne.  It  sadly  contrasts  the  good  old 
times  and  the  good  old  people  with  the  bad  new  times 
and  the  bad  new  people  of  the  Restoration. 

The  old  courtier  is  lovingly  described  as  “a  wor- 
shipful old  gentleman  who  had  a great  estate,”  with 
a lovely  old  wife  by  his  side,  and  a great  band  of 
servants  around  them.  Then  followed  this  verse: 

With  a good  old  fashion  when  Christmas  was  come, 

To  call  in  all  his  old  neighbors  with  bagpipe  and  drum. 
With  good  cheer  enough  to  furnish  every  room. 

And  old  liquor  able  to  make  a cat  speak,  and  man  dumb ; 
Like  an  old  courtier  of  the  queen’s 
And  the  queen’s  old  courtier. 

A contrast  is  drawn  betu^een  this  old  courtier  of  the 


The  Old  and  the  New  Christmas. 

From  London  Punch.  Dec.  24,  1881. 


FATHER  CHRISTMAS  AND  HIS  FAMILY  177 

queen’s  and  the  young  courtier  of  the  king’s,  with  all 
his  new  f angled  notions,  and  especially 

With  a new  fashion,  when  Christmas  is  drawing  on. 

On  a new  journey  to  London  we  must  straight  all  begone 
And  leave  none  to  keep  house  but  our  new  porter  John 
Who  relieves  the  poor  with  a thump  in  the  back  with  a stone. 
Like  a young  courtier  of  the  king’s 
And  the  king’s  young  courtier. 

From  time  to  time,  even  in  periods  nearer  to  our 
own,  complaints  have  been  raised  in  England  that 
the  spirit  of  the  old-time  Christmas  merriment  has 
departed  forever,  and  that  good  old  Father  Christ- 
mas is  once  more  an  exile  from  his  own. 

A cartoon  by  Linley  M.  Sambourne  published  in 
the  London  Punch  for  Deeember  24,  1881,  shows  the 
Old-Fashioned  Christmas  holding  a lively  conversa- 
tion with  the  New. 

This  prose  bit  is  printed  beneath  the  pieture: 

Christmas  (New  Style).  “We  are  the  Modern  Christ- 
mas Cards — we  are  ! we  are  ! we  are  !” 

Christmas  (Old  Style).  “You  represent  Christmas! 
Pooh  ! What  do  you  mean  by  coming  out  like  that  at 

THIS  TIME  OF  YeAR?” 

Then  follows  this  poem,  which  still  further  explains 
the  meaning  of  the  picture: 


178  THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 

Says  the  Old-fashioned  Christmas  to  the  New-fangled  Christ- 
mas, 

“ ’Pon  my  word,  my  boy,  I don’t  think  much  of  you.” 

Says  the  New-fangled  Christmas  to  the  Old-fashioned  Christ- 
mas, 

“Well,  with  tastes  like  yours,  I don’t  suppose  you  do. 

For,  to  celebrate  a season,  very  fortunately  brief. 

At  your  age  too, — with  an  orgie  of  plum-pudding  and  roast 
beef. 

Crowned  with  holly,  in  a dressing-gown ! The  thing ’s  past 
all  belief !” 

Says  Old  Christmas,  with  a nod,  “My  boy,  that ’s  true.” 

Says  the  New-fangled  Clxristmas  to  the  Old-fashioned  Christ- 
mas, 

“For  tomfoolery  like  yours  we  have  no  zest.” 

Says  the  Old-fasliioned  Christmas  to  the  New-fangled  Christ- 
mas, 

“What  now ! You  to  talk  like  that!  Well,  I am  blest! 

‘Tomfoolery’ Why,  what  do  jmu  call  all  this  here  modem 
fad, — 

Sending  gimcrack  cards  by  dozens,  dauby,  glaring,  good,  and 
bad, 

Nymphs — and  vFat  not.'*  Why,  between  you,  you  drive 
friends  and  Postmen  mad.” 

Says  Young  Christmas,  “When  it ’s  over,  they  can  rest.” 

Says  the  Old-fashioned  Christmas  to  the  New-fangled  Christ- 
mas, 

“Where’s  the- jollity  of  twenty  years  ago?” 


Bringing  in  Old  Christmas. 

From  the  Illustrnted  London  News. 


FATHER  CHRISTMAS  AND  HIS  FAMILY  181 


Says  the  New-fangled  Christmas  to  the  Old-fashioned  Christ- 
mas, 

“How  on  earth,  now,  do  you  think  that  I should  know? 
For  to-day,  with  Art  and  Culture’s  dainty  trifles  by  the  score, 
We  just  manage  tO'  scrape  through  the  time,  confessing  it ’s 
a bore; 

But,  by  Jove,  if  you  came  back  again,  ’twould  soon  be  some- 
thing more!” 

Says  Old  Christmas,  “Well,  I really  call  that  low.” 

Says  the  New-fangled  Christmas  to  the  Old-fashioned  Christ- 
mas, 

“I  don’t  see  the  day  a bit,  you  know,  like  you.” 

Says  the  Old-fashioned  Christmas  to  the  New-fangled  Christ- 
mas, 

“Never  mind,  my  boy,  there ’s  something  you  can  do. 

Have  your  fads ; but  copy  me,  my  boy.  Go  on  as  I ’ve  be- 
gun. 

Remember,  when  your  table ’s  spread,  the  thousands  that  have 
none. 

So,  get  your  cheque-book  out,  my  boy.  Show  you  ’re  your 
father’s  son.” 

Says  Young  Christmas,  “Well,  I don’t  mind  if  I do.” 

After  all,  may  it  not  be  safe  for  us  to  decide  that 
it  is  not  the  spirit  but  the  fashion  which  alters,  that 
the  heart  of  Old  Father  Christmas  still  beats  warm 
under  the  new  garb  wherein  changing  tastes  have 
clothed  him?  Surely,  if  we  have  dropped  some  of 
the  revellings  of  the  past,  we  have  dropped  also  the 


182 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


abuses  which  gradually  made  distasteful  the  horse 
play  that  attended  those  revelries. 

On  the  whole  the  “new  fangled  Christmas”  has 
many  points  that  show  an  improvement  over  the  old- 
fashioned  Christmas  while  in  all  essentials  the  two 
remain  one  and  the  same. 

Some  humble  members  of  Father  Christmas’  fam- 
ily still  surviving  to  a small  extent  in  London  are  the 
“waits”  or  wandering  musicians  who  play  dismal 
tunes  under  the  windows  of  the  well-to-do  in  the  hopes 
of  obtaining  a few  pennies. 

These  are  direct  descendants  from  the  “jongleurs” 
or  minstrels  who  in  the  Middle  Ages  celebrated  the 
birth  of  Christ  on  Christmas  night  with  song  and 
dance. 


Tlie  Christmas  Waits. 

Drawing  by  Kenny  Meadows. 

From  the  Illustrated  London  News,  December,  1848. 


CHAPTER  XV 


PAISTTOMIME  IN  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

Some  people  still  living  (but  they  must  be  very 
aged  people  by  now)  may  be  able  to  remember  the 
pantomime  which  was  one  of  the  great  features  of  the 
Christmas  holidays  in  early  nineteenth  century 
England,  and  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  legitimate 
successor  of  the  ancient  “masque.”  The  word  pan- 
tomime comes  from  two  Greek  words  meaning  “all 
mimicry.”  It  is  a play  in  which  the  actors  say  never 
a word  but  perform  their  parts  in  dumb  show,  that 
is,  by  signs  and  gestures.  Being  almost  unknown  in 
America  this  word  of  explanation  may  be  necessary. 

England  borrowed  the  pantomime  from  Italy, 
where  it  has  survived  from  the  the  masked  frolics 
of  the  Roman  Saturnaha.  Pantaloon,  Harlequin 
and  the  Fairy  Columbine  were  the  principal  actors  in 
aU  the  Italian  pantomimes  and  all  of  them  wore 
masks. 

A famous  player  named  Rich,  who  was  known  on 
the  stage  as  Lun,  was  the  first  to  introduce  panto- 
mime into  England.  In  the  year  1717  he  produced 
a play  of  this  sort  called  Harlequin  Executed,  in 

185 


185 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


which  he  himself  performed  the  part  of  Harlequin. 
It  is  said  that  he  “could  describe  to  the  audience  bj' 
his  signs  and  gestures  as  intelMgibly  as  others  could 
express  by  words.”  * 

David  Garrick,  perhaps  the  greatest  of  all  Enghsh 
actors,  was  a younger  contemporary  of  Rich  and  after 
his  friend’s  death  he  celebrated  the  silent  but  power- 
ful language  of  Rich  in  these  lines : 

When  Lun  appeared,  with  matchless  grace  and  ishm, 

He  gave  the  power  of  speech  to  every  limb, 

Though  masked  and  mute,  conveyed  his  quick  intent, 
And  told  in  frolic  gestures  all  he  meant; 

But  now  the  motley  coat  and  sword  of  wood 
Require  a tongue  to  make  them  understood. 

By  the  last  lines  Garrick  evidently  means  to  say 
that  spoken  words  had  in  his  time  been  introduced  into 
the  so-called  pantomime,  because  no  actor  remained 
who  was  capable  of  convejdng  his  meaning  by  nod 
or  wink  or  gesture  in  the  old-time  manner. 

B}’'  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  how- 
ever, all  and  more  of  the  original  glories  of  panto- 
mime were  brought  back  to  the  English  stage  by 
Joseph  Grimaldi,  an  Italian  by  birth,  but  an  English- 
man by  adoption.  He  was  the  greatest  clown  kno\ni 
to  the  history  of  English  drama. 

1 D’Israeli’s  “Curiosities  of  Literature,” 


Jongleurs  announcing  the  birth  of  our  Lord. 
From  a painting  ty  A.  F.  Gorguet. 


PANTOMIME  IN  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT  189 

After  his  retirement,  in  1828,  pantomime  still 
flourished  for  a number  of  years  as  the  chief  dramatic 
feature  of  the  Christmas  season. 

St.  Stephen’s  Day  (December  26,  the  day  after 
Christmas)  was  the  day  specially  set  aside  for  the 
production  of  a pantomime,  but  in  due  time  those  per- 
formances were  extended  all  over  the  Christmas  sea- 
son. They  were  the  particular  delight  of  the  young 
folk,  though  older  folk  also  liked  to  attend  them 
and  live  their  youth  over  again  in  the  joy  reflected 
from  the  faces  of  the  boys  and  girls  in  the  audience. 

Leigh  Hunt,  a charming  English  writer  who  never 
lost  his  boy-heart  tells  us  how  much  pleasure  he  found 
in  watching  the  children  at  a pantomime. 

“I  am  more  delighted,”  he  says,  “in  watching  the 
vivacious  workings  of  their  ingenuous  countenances 
at  these  Christmas  shows  than  at  the  sights  them- 
selves. . . . Stretching  half  over  the  boxes  at 

the  theatre,  adorned  by  maternal  love,  see  their  en- 
raptured faces,  now  turned  to  the  galleries,  wonder- 
ing at  their  height  and  at 'the  number  of  regular- 
placed  heads  contained  in  them;  now  directed  towards 
the  green  cloud  which  is  so  lingeringly  kept  between 
them  and  their  promised  bliss.  The  half -peeled 
orange  laid  aside  when  the  play  begins ; their  anxiety 
for  that  which  they  understand;  their  honest  laughter 
which  runs  through  the  house  like  a merry  peal  of 


190 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


sweet  beEs ; the  fear  of  the  little  girl  lest  they  should 
diseover  the  person  hid  behind  the  screen;  the  exul- 
tation of  the  boy  when  the  hero  conquers.  But,  oh, 
the  rapture  when  the  pantomime  commences ! Ready 
to  leap  out  of  the  box,  they  joy  in  the  mischief  of 
the  clown,  laugh  at  the  thwacks  he  gets  for  his  med- 
dling, and  feel  no  small  portion  of  contempt  for  his 
ignorance  in  not  knowing  that  hot  water  will  scald 
and  gunpowder  explode;  while,  with  head  aside  to 
give  fresh  energy  to  the  strokes,  they  ring  their  little  i 
palms  against  each  other  in  testimony  of  exuberant 
delight.” 

Pantomime  in  the  England  of  to-day  has  dwin- 
dled into  a mere  side  show  for  spectacular  ballets, 
which  are  now  all  the  fashion.  Clown  and  Colum- 
bine are  indeed,  occasionally  introduced  into  these  bal- 
lets but  the  clo’wn  is  no  longer  a leading  character 
and  Columbine  and  her  companions  are  selected  more 
for  their  skill  in  dancing  than  in  the  art  of  gesture. 

Very  rarely,  indeed,  is  a comic  mask  introduced 
into  a Christmas  piece  nowadays.  Formerly,  Har- 
lequin and  Columbine  wore  little  black  masks  that 
just  covered  the  upper  part  of  the  face,  while  the 
rest  of  the  jolly  crew  of  elves,  ogres  and  buffoons  | 
were  disguised  in  huge  headpieces  arranged  over  their 
shoulders.  ' 

And  here  comes  in  the  point  of  the  picture  by  JNIr.  i 
Potter  which  I have  reproduced  from  the  Christmas  i 


Going  to  tlie  Pantomime. 

Drawing  l)y  John  Leech. 

From  llie  llhistrated  London  News,  December  24,  185: 


PANTOMIME  IN  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT  193 

number  of  an  English  weekly  called  The  Sporting 
Times. 

The  young  woman  of  this  picture  is  a “high-kick- 
er”  who  evidently  has  made  a hit  with  the  audience 
at  a modern  Christmas  ballet.  When  she  gets  be- 
hind the  scenes  among  “properties”  left  over  from 
the  ancient  days,  she  gives  a frisky  vent  to  her  feel- 
ings by  flashing  her  heels  in  the  faces  of  the  grinning 
old  masks. 

In  short,  she  represents  pantomime  in  its  most  mod- 
ern development,  the  ballet,  as  contrasted  with  the 
grotesque  humors  of  the  past. 

You  may  And  food  for  both  humor  and  pathos, 
in  the  idea  which  Mr.  Potter  has  worked  out  in  this 
pretty  and  ingenious  manner. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUEOPE 

There  is  no  country  in  Europe  where  Saint  Nich- 
olas is  more  honored  than  in  Holland.  Even  before 
his  festival  arrives — during  all  the  first  five  days  of 
December — the  shops  in  town  and  city  put  on  their 
most  festive  array.  All  the  people  in  shop  and  street 
assume  a brisk  and  busthng  air.  Dutch  men  and 
Dutch  women,  usually  silent  and  stolid,  hail  one  an- 
other with  noisy  greetings  as  they  meet.  Everybody, 
in  short,  has  his  best  foot  foremost. 

Amsterdam,  one  of  many  eities  which  claim  Saint 
Nicholas  as  their  patron  saint,  is  espeeially  wideawake. 
During  the  first  week  of  December  the  confectioners’ 
shops  are  ablaze  with  all  sorts  of  splendors  in  eake 
and  candy.  Sugar  rabbits,  sugar  cats  and  sugar 
mice  disport  themselves  amid  scenerj^-  of  sugar  and 
chocolate  and  wood  shavings.  The  shavings  { painted 
a vivid  green),  supply  the  foliage  for  ehocolate  trees 
and  candied  fruits.  In  all  shapes  and  sizes  are  fig- 
ures of  men  and  women  made  out  of  crisp  brown 
gingerbread,  called  Saint  Nicholas  cake,  which  is 
specially  prepared  for  the  hohday.  These  figures  are 

194 


Mute  admiration 

By  Raymond  Potter. 


i 

5 


:1 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUROPE 


197 


sometimes  known  as  “sweethearts”  and  it  is  a merry 
jest  to  send  a girl  figure  to  a boy  and  a boy  figure  to 
a girl.  Nay  the  elders  themselves  are  not  forgotten 
if  they  are  unmarried.  It  is  good  fun,  we  are  told, 
to  have  a servant  burst  into  a roomful  of  people  and 
say  to  the  lady  of  the  house: 

“If  you  please  ma’am,  here  is  Miss  Annie’s  sweet- 
heart,” and  hand  over  to  mamma  a gingerbread  man 
for  her  little  girl.^ 

Other  jokes  of  the  same  kind  are  played  with  so- 
called  “hearts,”  large  and  luscious  pieces  of  march- 
pane  moulded  into  the  familiar  shape  supposed  to 
resemble  the  organ  that  is  supposed  to  be  the  seat  of 
human  atfection.  These  are  exchanged  among  the 
young  people  much  as  valentines,  with  us,  are  ex- 
changed on  February  14th. 

“Of  course,”  says  the  authority  I have  already 
quoted,  a lady  of  Holland  birth  who  speaks  of  what 
she  herself  has  seen  and  experienced,  “most  girls  like 
having  such  an  innocent  heart  sent  to  them,  and  it 
is  funny  to  see  the  mysterious  look  with  which  one 
tells  another: 

“ T had  a large  heart  sent  to  me  last  night.  I can- 
not possibly  think  who  sent  it.’  ” 

Here  and  there  in  the  streets  you  will  see  groups 
of  boys  and  girls  clustered  around  a linen-draper’s 
shop.  For  it  is  the  linen  drapers  who  especially  love 
1 Annie  C.  Kuiper  in  “St.  Nicholas”  Magazine,  January,  1897. 


198 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


to  display  in  their  windows  a life-like  image  of  Saint 
Nicholas,  ruddy  faced,  white  bearded,  cro’svned  with 
his  mitre  and  clad  in  his  bright  red  robe  lined  with 
soft  M^hite  fur,  bearing  a crozier  in  his  hand,  and 
mounted  on  a fiery  white  horse.  Behind  him  stands 
his  negro  servant  Jan,  or  John.  j ^ 

On  December  5th,  the  eve  of  the  saint’s  feast,  he 
is  said  to  ride  over  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  dropping 
candies  into  the  wide  chimneys.  And  indeed,  in 
houses  where  children  believe  this,  their  faith  is  re- 
warded by  the  fact  that  candies  and  other  goodies 
do  stream  down  into  the  great  open  hearths  and  are 
gathered  in  by  eager  httle  people  who  have  been 
singing  the  saint’s  praises  all  through  the  evening. 

In  many  households,  moreover,  the  saint  ac- 
tually presents  himself  to  the  eyes  of  his  worshippers 
and  admirers.  A knock  is  heard  at  the  door;  it  is 
opened,  and  amid  the  breathless  silence  of  the  chil- 
dren, Santa  Klaus,  in  flesh  and  blood,  and  in  all  the 
glory  of  scarlet  robe  and  bejewelled  mitre,  steps  into 
the  room.  He  is  closely  followed  by  his  servant  Jan, 
who  bears  a basket  containing  all  sorts  of  presents 
for  the  good  children,  and  all  sorts  of  unpleasant  re- 
minders for  the  bad  ones. 

Before  these  things  are  distributed,  Santa  Klaus 
calls  up  the  children  one  by  one.  He  praises  the 
good  ones  for  all  the  Idnd  deeds  they  have  done  dur- 
ing the  past  year,  while  gently  reproving  any  faults 


Santa  Claus  comes  to  grief  on  an  automobile. 

Copyright  1908  by  Life  Publishing  Company. 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUROPE 


201 


which  may  have  mingled  with  their  virtues.  To  the 
bad  ones  he  is  stern  but  just.  He  reminds  them  of 
their  misdeeds,  and  tells  them  that  he  cannot  give 
them  any  presents  until  they  improve.  If  they  have 
been  very,  very  bad,  he  hands  a birch  rod  over  to  their 
parents  with  the  adduce  that  it  should  be  used  upon 
their  little  backs  in  the  task  of  reformation. 

Great  is  the  wonder  that  Santa  Klaus  should  know 
so  much  about  the  children  in  a whole  neighborhood. 
He  goes,  or  is  supposed  to  go,  from  house  to  house 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  everywhere  he  praises 
1 the  virtues  or  condemns  the  faults  of  the  boys  and 
I girls  arrayed  to  meet  him.  Sometimes  it  is  found, 

I by  comparing  notes,  that  he  was  in  two  or  more  houses 
at  the  same  time. 

Of  course,  you  who  have  had  your  eyes  opened, 
guess  that  the  part  of  Santa  Klaus  is  taken  by  some 
older  member  of  each  family,  who  confines  his  visits 
to  his  own  circle  of  relatives.  Except  in  very  small 
villages,  there  are  many  Santa  Klauses,  therefore, 
going  the  rounds  on  Saint  Nicholas’s  day,  each  well 
acquainted  in  the  houses  he  visits. 

In  Austria,  also,  and  in  many  parts  of  Southern 
Germany,  St.  Nicholas  Eve  is  made  memorable  in 
every  nursery  by  a visit  from  the  saint.  A well 
grown  boy  with  a quick  and  clever  mind  and  some 
knowledge  of  church  doctrine,  is  chosen  to  play  the 
part  of  Santa  Klaus.  He  is  masked  in  long  white 


202 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


vestments.  A silk  scarf  is  wound  around  his  neck, 
a mitre  crowns  his  head,  a crozier  is  put  in  his  hand. 
He  is  attended  by  two  angels  and  a whole  troop  of  j 
devils. 

The  angels  are  dressed  much  like  the  choir-boys 
you  have  seen  in  Catholic  and  Episcopalian  churches, 
save  that  they  also  wear  silken  scarfs  around  their 
necks.  Each  carries  a basket. 

The  devils  blacken  their  faces,  put  horns  upon  their 
heads  and  decorate  their  faces  with  pig’s  snouts  or 
any  other  grotesque  device  that  may  suggest  itself 
to  their  fancy.  All  are  girt  with  chains,  which  they 
shake  or  rattle  furiously. 

Boy-like,  it  is  thought  much  better  fun  to  play  devil 
than  angel,  and  any  boy  who  can  lay  his  hands  upon 
a suitable  costume  is  at  liberty  to  join  the  infernal 
train. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  December  5th  the  Boy- 
bishop  and  his  attendants  begin  their  round  of  visits. 
It  is  the  season  for  young  folks’  parties,  and  all  the 
children  of  the  village  who  are  not  masquerading  as 
bishop  or  angel  or  imp  have  gathered  together  in  a 
few  of  the  principal  houses.  At  each  Saint  Nicholas 
calls  in  its  due  turn. 

He  enters  with  the  two  angels,  leaving  the  demons  i 
outside  to  indulge  in  any  pranks  they  will. 

A great  hush  falls  upon  the  assembled  children  as  '■ 
the  Saint  advances  into  the  room.  One  by  one  he 


No,  I don’t  believe  in  you  any  more,  but  3’ou  maj'  leave  the  things. 

Drawing  by  J.  R.  Shaver. 

Copyright  1908  by  Life  Publishing  Co. 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUROPE 


205 


calls  them  up  to  examine  them.  Simple  questions 
suited  to  their  various  ages  are  put  to  them  by  the 
bishop,  after  which  each  has  to  repeat  a hymn  or  a 
prayer.  All  this  part  of  the  evening’s  business  is 
carried  on  with  the  greatest  seriousness  and  decorum 
on  the  part  of  children  and  grown-ups  alike. 

If  the  child  passes  a satisfactory  examination  the 
I angels  present  it  with  nuts  and  apples — if  not  it 
has  to  stand  aside.  When  the  last  of  the  examinations 
I is  over,  the  devils  are  admitted  into  the  room. 

. They  are  not  allowed  to  come  near  the  good  chil- 
I dren,  but  they  may  tease  and  frighten  the  naughty 
i little  boys  and  girls  as  much  as  they  choose.  <^hey 
i|  delight  in  strange  dances,  and  in  all  sorts  of  odd 
t antics,  such  as  smearing  the  girls’  faces  with  lamp- 
\ black,  or  putting  coal  dust  and  ashes  down  the  backs 
1 of  the  boys.^ 

When  Saint  Nicholas  has  left,  the  children  return 
to  their  own  homes.  Before  going  to  bed  they  hang 
up  their  stockings  by  the  chimney  or,  more  likely, 
place  their  little  boots  and  shoes  close  to  the  hearth, 
expecting  to  find  them  filled  with  gifts  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Boots  and  shoes  indeed,  came  before  stockings  al- 
most everywhere,  the  advantages  of  clean  stockings 
as  receivers  for  candies  and  other  eatables  being  a 
comparatively  new  discovery.  In  Belgium  to  this 
day  the  children  give  their  shoes  an  extra  fine  polish 

' 


206 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


on  Christmas  Eve,  fill  them  with  hay,  oats,  carrots, 
for  Santa  Klaus’s  white  horse,  and  put  them  on  the 
table,  or  set  them  in  the  fireplace.  The  room  is  then 
carefully  closed  and  the  door  is  locked. 

In  the  morning  a strange  thing  is  found  to  have 
happened!  The  furniture  is  all  turned  topsy-tur^y, 
the  fodder  has  been  removed  from  the  shoes  and  in 
its  place  the  good  little  children  find  all  sorts  of  nice 
things  and  the  bad  ones  only  rods  of  birch  and  bits  of 
coal. 

Boots  and  shoes  are  also  in  use  in  many^parts  of 
France.  ■^But  here,  as  a general  rule,  it  is 'the  good 
little  Jesus  (le  bon  petit  Jesus)  who  comes  down  the 
chimney  to  fill  all  this  footgear  with  sweetmeats. 
Formerly  this  custom  extended  to  Paris.  A French 
journalist  named  Charton  thus  describes  the  sights 
that  met  his  eye  on  Christmas  eve  in  Paris  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  nineteenth  century: 

“Lo!  what  a strange  thing!  Before  all  the  mantel- 
pieces of  Paris  are  ranged,  with  a wonderful  s\Tn- 
metry,  charming  little  shoes,  pretty  little  hottines, 
miniature  slippers,  and,  as  the  extremities  of  the  fau- 
bourgs, poor  little  sabots!  It  will  be  asked,  what  all 
those  tiny  little  boots  and  shoes  are  doing  there? 
There  are  enough  of  them  to  cover  the  feet  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  vast  kingdom  of  Lilliput.  I^Jiat 
are  they  doing  there?  They  are  waiting  for  a beau- 


Santa  Claus:  “Whew!  I suppose  if  I don’t  remember  those 

poor  boys  in  Wall  Street  they’ll  complain  to  Teddy.’’ 

Drawing  by  C.  J.  Taylor. 


2 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUROPE 


209 


tiful  little  luminous  hand  to  descend  from  heaven  to 
fill  them  with  preserved  fruits  and  bonbons!  In  the 
olden  time  the  presents  intended  for  children  were 
fastened  to  the  two  ends  of  the  Yule  Log.  Later  an 
attempt  was  made  to  introduce  into  France  the  Christ- 
mas-tree, which,  in  a large  portion  of  Europe,  has 
superseded  the  Yule  Log.  But  it  is  most  usual  to 
keep  to  the  simple  custom  of  filling  the  httle  shoes 
with  bonbons,  which  more  than  one  mother  of  the  la- 
boring classes  has  had  the  foresight  to  reserve  for 
that  purpose.  We  will  not  venture  to  say  that,  whilst 
the  good  mother  or  the  elder  sister  is  stealthily  ap- 
proaching the  hearth  and  stooping  down,  one  of  the 
little  sleepers,  kept  awake  with  expectation,  does  not 
open  his  eyehds  slily,  and  say  to  himself : ‘Ah ! I was 
sure  it  was  not  the  httle  Jesus!’  But  the  prudent 
child  will  take  care  not  to  confess  that  he  has  discov- 
ered the  mystery;  he  has  too  much  interest  in  being 
cheated  next  Christmas-day;  and  in  a few  hours  the 
room  will  ring  with  his  cries  of  false  surprise  but  real 
gratification.” 

Only  candies  and  sweetmeats,  you  will  see,  were 
brought  down  through  the  chimney  by  the  Christ- 
child  on  Christmas  eve.  The  favorite  time  for  gift- 
making from  parent  to  child,  from  child  to  parent, 
from  friend  to  friend,  on  New  Year’s  Day. 
Hence  that  holiday  is  known  as  “Le  Jour  des  Etren- 


210 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


nes  (the  day  of  presents),  “etrennes”  being  a corrup- 
tion of  the  Latin  word  “strenae,”  the  gifts  exchanged  ’ 
during  the  Saturnalia,(^out  which  I have  written  in 
the  fourth  chapter  of  this  book.^ 

Though  Saint  Nicholas  is  honored  as  the  patron 
of  children  in  nearly  all  the  Catholic  countries  of 
continental  Europe,  he  is  rarely  associated  in  any 
way  with  Christmas.  That  day  is  there  held  sacred 
to  the  Christ  child  alone.  In  a very  few  localities 
Saint  Nicholas  may  appear  on  his  own  day  to  find 
out  what  good  little  boys  and  girls  would  like  to  have 
on  Christmas,  or,  sometimes,  at  New  Year’s,  but  it  is 
generally  the  little  Jesus  who  is  the  actual  gift  bringer. 

In  the  Catholic  portions  of  Austria  and  Germany 
all  of  the  windows  are  lit  up  on  the  night  of  December 
24  so  as  to  enable  Him  to  pick  His  way  from  house  to 
house.  Here  you  may  again  recognize  a lingering 
memory  of  the  Pagan  and  Jewish  festivals  wherein 
lighted  torches,  or  lamps,  or  candles  form  a chief  fea- 
ture. j 

And,  indeed,  one  may  point  out  right  here  that  the  | 
Christ  child  supplies  another  link  vdth  the  old  pagan  | 
Silenus.  The  latter,  as  I have  told  you,  was,  among  ( 
other  things,  the  guardian  and  tutor  of  the  infant  j 
Bacchus.  Whenever  picture  or  statue  represented 
him  in  this  capacity  all  his  evil  traits  were  dropped. 
He  became  a very  different  being  from  the  grace- 


Santa  Claus  up  in  a balloon. 

Copyright  1908  by  Life  Publishing  Co. 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  EUROPE  213 

I less  reveller  of  the  Bacchanalian  feasts.  He  was  now 
I painted  or  carved  as  an  old  man,  grave  and  sober, 

I clean-cut  in  limbs  and  features,  holding  little  Bacchus 
in  his  arms  or  on  his  shoulders.  Possibly  this  figure 
may  have  suggested  the  mediaeval  legend  of  Saint 
Christopher,  who,  it  is  fabled,  bore  the  Christ  child 
on  his  shoulders  across  a river  in  Germany. 

In  Italy  almost  every  church  has  an  altar  dedi- 
cated to  the  Christ  child  and  decorated  with  a wooden 
or  waxen  effigy  known  as  “II  Bambino,”  or  “the 
babe.”  On  Christmas  day  this  Bambino  is  specially 
honored  by  being  dressed  up  in  his  finest  clothes  and 
placed  in  a mimic  cradle,  called  a presepio.  All  good 
Catholics  flock  to  do  the  image  honor  during  the 
twelve  days  from  Christmas  to  Epiphany. 

The  most  famous  Bambino  in  Italy  is  that  in  the 
Franciscan  church  of  Ara  Coeli  at  Rome,  which  is  be- 
lieved to  heal  the  sick  and  perform  other  miracles. 
On  Christmas  day  a curious  ceremony  is  performed  in 
his  honor  which  makes  our  thoughts  travel  back  to 
the  Boy-bishop  of  old  England  and  elsewhere.  Op- 
posite the  presepio  in  which  the  little  waxen  figure 
reposes  is  built  a palco,  or  platform,  and  on  this  plat- 
form a number  of  baby  orators  follow  one  another 
with  little  speeches,  written  by  their  elders,  that  dwell 
! upon  the  birth  of  our  Lord  and  the  incidents  of  His 
childhood. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  AMEEICA. 

'Just  as  the  Christmas  tree  was  brought  over  to  this  | 
country  by  early  German  immigrants  so  Saint  Nicho- 
las, or  Santa  Klaus,  came  here  in  the  train  of  the  ! 
Dutch  settlers  of  New  York.  He  estabhshed  him- 
self first  in  the  little  island  of  Manhattan  and  then 
gradually  spread  all  over  the  country,  being  greatly 
assisted  by  the  fact  that  he  was  no  stranger  to  the 
German  settlers  everywhere.  But  his  Dutch  origin 
is  shown  by  the  very  name  Santa  Klaus,  which  is  com- 
mon alike  to  Holland  and  America,  though  it  is  else-  1 
where  unknown.  , 

At  first  he  was  honored  on  his  own  day  with  the  ; 
same  observances  that  marked  the  festival  in  the  Fath-  ! 
erland.  | 

Before  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  j 
however,  St.  Nicholas’s  day  had  been  all  but  forgotten  I 
in  New  Amsterdam  (the  Dutch  name  for  New  York)  i 
and  we  find  that  New  Year’s  eve  was  the  occasion  i 
Avhen  he  made  his  rounds  as  a gift  bearer  to  the  chil-  I 
di’en.  Later  he  transferred  his  actmties  to  Christ- 


mas. 


214 


New  Yeai’’s  gifts  in  a French  workingman’s  family. 

Drawing  ty  Gavarni. 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  AMERICA 


217i 


I reproduce  from  an  old  New  York  magazine, 
dated  January,  1844,  a print  which  shows  Santa 
Klaus  on  the  point  of  remounting  a chimney  after 
filling  the  stockings  of  the  children  of  the  household. 
The  text  expressly  says  that  the  time  is  New  Year’s 
eve. 

To  go  further  back,  we  know  that  even  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  when  New  York  was  still  to  a 
great  extent  Dutch  in  blood  and  in  feeling,  the  httle 
children  of  the  Knickerbockers  would  gather  expect- 
ant around  the  great  hearth  in  the  parlor  on  the  eve 
of  New  Year  and  not  on  the  eve  of  Saint  Nicholas’s 
feast.  It  was  to  Saint  Nicholas,  however,  that  they 
addressed  the  childish  hymns  and  songs  which  their 
forefathers  had  brought  over  from  Holland. 

Here  are  two  specimen  verses: 

Santa  Klaus,  good  holy  man ! 

Go  your  way  from  Amsterdam; 

From  Amsterdam  to  Spain, 

From  Spain  to  Orange, 

And  bring  us  little  children  toys. 

Saint  Nicholas,  my  dear  good  friend. 

To  praise  you  ever  is  my  end. 

If  you  will  presents  to  me  give 
I’ll  serve  you  till  I cease  to  live. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century 
that  the  funny  men  of  America  took  the  Saint  under 


218 


,THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


their  special  patronage.  In  Holland  he  had  heen 
austere  and  dignified,  as  became  a bishop  and  a saint. 
In  America  he  developed  into  the  fat,  jolly,  pot-bel- 
lied old  roysterer  whom  we  all  know  and  love  and  who 
reminds  us  at  so  many  points  of  the  fun  loving 
Silenus  of  Pagan  times. 

Undoubtedly  it  was  the  Ameriean  Clement  C. 
Moore  who  immortalized  the  figure  and  deeided  the 
model  which  all  succeeding  poets  and  artists  have  ever 
followed.  This  is  how  Santa  Klaus  is  described  in 
Mr.  Moore’s  very  popular  poem  entitled  ‘A  Visit 
from  Santa  Klaus”: 

He  was  dressed  all  in  fur  from  his  head  to  his  foot, 

And  his  clothes  were  all  tarnished  with  ashes  and  soot ; 

A bundle  of  toys  he  had  flung  on  his  back. 

And  he  looked  like  a pedlar  just  opening  his  pack. 

His  eyes  how  they  twinkled ! his  dimples  how  merry ! 

His  cheeks  were  hke  roses,  his  nose  like  a cherry. 

His  droll  little  mouth  was  drawn  up  like  a bow, 

And  the  beard  on  his  chin  was  as  white  as  the  snow. 

The  stump  of  a pipe  he  held  tight  in  his  teeth. 

And  the  smoke  it  encircled  his  head  like  a wreath. 

He  had  a broad  face  and  a little  round  belly 

That  shook,  when  he  laughed,  like  a bowlful  of  jelly. 

He  was  chubby  and  plump  — a right  j oily  old  elf  — / 
And  I laughed  when  I saw  him,  in  spite  of  myself. 

Year  by  year  the  funny  men  of  the  pencil  and  the 
pen  do  their  best  to  add  to  his  eccentricities  yet  always 


French  children  gazing  up  the  chimney  for  gifts. 

Old  French  print. 


SAINT  NICHOLAS  IN  AMERICA 


221 


they  retain  a measure  of  respect  for  the  dear  old  gen- 
tleman. 

One  comic  artist  sends  him  to  Wall  Street  among 
the  brokers  and  the  bankers,  yet  he  preserves  his  dig- 
nity even  among  those  shrewd  and  clever  men,  and 
is  ready  to  teach  them  more  than  they  can  hope  to 
teach  him. 

Other  artists  make  him  turn  to  account  the  latest 
inventions  of  our  inventors  and  scientists.  Even  if 
one  picture  does  show  him  coming  to  grief  on  an 
automobile,  another  catches  him  in  the  very  act  of 
utilizing  a flying  machine. 

Again  we  are  shown  another  side  of  the  matter. 
We  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  unbelief  of  the 
child  who  is  ripening  into  boyhood  or  girlhood. 

At  six  years  old  or  sometimes  later  doubts  begin 
to  visit  the  youthful  mind.  These  doubts  are  carried 
very  far  by  the  little  girl — a juvenile  Saint  Thomas 
in  pantalettes — who  in  Mr.  J.  R.  Shaver’s  pic- 
ture, meets  Santa  Klaus  face  to  face,  yet  tells  him  to 
his  face  that  she  doesn’t  believe  in  him. 

At  this  period  in  their  lives  young  folks  of  both 
sexes  will  sympathize  with  the  spirit  of  inquiry  that 
summons  Saint  Nicholas,  as  in  Mr.  O’Malley’s  car- 
toon, to  answer  before  a judge  and  jury  of  their  own 
age  the  question  as  to  whether  he  has  any  real  ex- 
istence. 

And  now  turn  to  the  last  picture  of  all,  that  which 


222 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTA  KLAUS 


Mr.  Henry  Hutt  has  kindly  lent  me  for  reproduction 
in  this  little  book,  and  if  you  insist  on  an  answer  which 
will  rob  you  of  the  bhss  of  ignorance,  perhaps  you 
will  find  it  there! 


THE  END 


Silenus  and  Bacchus. 

Roman  statue  of  the  fourth  century. 


i 

: 

i 

i 

i 

'i 


I 


The  bambino. 

In  the  church  of  Ara  Cocli,  Rome. 


Vi 

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t 

I 

t 

i 

'1 

I 

i: 

> 


TP 

f- 

t 


4 


Santa  Klaus  on  New  Year’s  eve. 

From  an  early  American  print. 


The  investigating  eommittee  — Santa  Claus  to  the  Bar. 

real  person? 

By  Power  O'Malley. 

Copyright  1908  hy  Bite  Piiblisliing  Co. 


St.  Nicholas  unveils. 

By  Henry  Hutt. 
Courtesy  of  the  artist. 


I 


